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THE   iENEID    FOR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  •  BOSTON  •  CHICAGO  •  DALIJVS 
ATLANTA  •  SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  •  BOMBAY  •  CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 
OF  CANADA,  Limited 

TORONTO 


THE    iENEID    FOR 
BOYS    AND    GIRLS 


TOLD   FROM   VIRGIL 
IN   SIMPLE   LANGUAGE 


BY  THE 

REV.  ALFRED  J.  CHURCH,  M.A. 

AUTHOR    OF    **  THE    ILIAD    FOR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS,** 
«<  THE    ODYSSEY    FOR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS '* 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 
1934 


Copyright,  1908, 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


All  rights  reserved  —  no  part  of  this  book  may  be 
reproduced  in  any  form  without  permission  in  writing 
from  the  publisher,  except  by  a  reviewer  who  wishes 
to  quote  brief  passages  in  connection  with  a  review 
written  for  inclusion  in  magazine  or  newspaper. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.    Published  September,  1 908. 


PRINTED   IN   THE    UNITED    STATES   07   AUEKICA 


TO 

MY   GRANDDAUGHTERS 
ELSIE  AND   MARGARET 

IN    THE    CHILCOTIN 


m 


910-813 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 
I. 

The  Horse  of  Wood     . 

»       • 

PAGB 
15 

n. 

The  Sack  of  Troy         .          , 

►       • 

•       *7 

III. 

^NEAS    AND    AnCHISES 

t       • 

.     41 

IV. 

Of  the  Voyage  of  ^Eneas 

»       • 

•       55 

V. 

The  Voyage  of  ^neas  (^continue et) 

• 

.       69 

VI. 

The  Shipwreck      ,          ,          • 

»       • 

.       83 

VII. 

Carthage      .... 

>       • 

.       93 

VIII. 

Dido    .          .          ,          .          • 

• 

.     103 

IX. 

The  Funeral  Games  of  Anchises 

•       • 

.     115 

X. 

The  Burning  of  the  Ships  —  The 

Coming  tc 

Italy     .... 

»          • 

.     133 

XI. 

In  Italy        .          .          •          • 

»         • 

.     145 

XII. 

The  Plots  of  Juno 

t          • 

.     159 

XIII. 

The  Gathering  of  the  Chiefs 

»          •         < 

.     169 

XIV. 

King  Evander         .          .          •          . 

>          . 

>     177 

XV. 

The  Arms  of  -^neas   .  .          •          , 

»         • 

.     191 

XVI. 

NiSUS    AND    EURYALUS 

>         • 

.     203 

XVII. 

The  Battle  at  the  Camp 

vii 

t                       •                       4 

>      217 

Vlll 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

XVIII.  The  Battle  on  the  Shore    . 

XIX.  The  Council        .... 

XX.  The  Deeds  and  Death  of  Camilla 

XXI.  The  Broken  Treaty     , 

XXII.  The  Death  of  Turnus 

Afterwards  .... 


PAGE 

229 

247 
259 
271 

281 

29s 


CHAPTER  I 
THE   HORSE   OF  WOOD 


THE    ^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND 

GIRLS   -'^^-^J^•v"•^?^,?i 

CHAPTER  I 

THE    HORSE    OF   WOOD 

The  Greeks  besieged  the  city  of  Troy  for 
nearly  ten  years.  They  could  not  take  it 
because  the  walls  were  so  high  and  strong  — 
some  said  that  they  had  been  built  by  the 
hands  of  gods  —  but  they  kept  the  Trojans 
inside.  This  had  not  always  been  so.  There 
had  been  a  time  when  the  Trojans  had  gone 
out  and  fought  with  their  enemies  on  the 
plain,  sometimes  they  had  beaten  them  in 
battle,  and  once  they  had  very  nearly  burnt 
their  ships.  But  this  was  all  changed.  They 
had  lost  some  of  the  bravest  of  their  chiefs, 
such  as  Hector,  the  best  of  the  sons  of  Priam, 
and  Paris  the  great  archer,  and  many  great 
princes,  who  had  come  from  the  countries 
round  about  to  help  them. 

15 


.ENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

We  can  easily  believe  then  that  Priam, 
King  of  Troy,  and  his  people  were  very 
glad  to  he^Lr  that  one  day  the  Greeks  had 
gone  home.  Two  Trojans,  who  had  left  the 
city  two  weeks  or  so  before  on  a  message 
from  King  Priam  to  one  of  his  allies,  came 
back  saying  that  they  had  gone  to  the  camp 
of  the  Greeks  and  had  found  h  empty,  and 
that  there  were  no  ships  to  be  seen.  Every 
one  who  was  not  ill  or  too  old  to  move  about 
made  all  the  haste  they  could  to  get  out  of 
the  city.  The  gates  were  opened  wide  for 
the  first  time  during  ten  years,  and  men, 
women,  and  children  hurried  out  to  see  the 
plain  where  so  many  battles  had  been  fought, 
and  the  camp  in  which  the  enemy  had  lived, 
and  the  place  where  the  ships  had  been 
dragged  up  on  the  shore.  As  you  may 
suppose,  those  who  had  fought  in  the  battles 
had  a  great  deal  to  say  about  what  they  had 
done  and  what  they  had  seen.  There  were 
many  things  to  see,  but  the  strangest  one  of 
all  was  a  great  Horse  of  Wood,  which  was 
standing  not  far  from  the  walls  of  the  city. 
No  one  was  quite  sure  what  it  was,  or  what 
it    meant.     One    man    said;     *Tt    is    a    very 

i6 


THE    HORSE    OF   WOOD 

curious  thing.  Let  us  drag  it  into  the  city 
that  it  may  be  a  monument  of  all  that  we 
have  suffered  for  the  last  ten  years."  Others 
said:  **Not  so;  we  had  better  burn  it,  or 
drag  it  down  to  the  sea  that  the  water  may 
cover  it,  or  cut  it  open  to  see  whether  there  is 
anything  inside.''  Of  these  no  one  was  more 
vehement  than  Laocoon,  priest  of  Neptune. 
''Take  heed  what  you  do,  men  of  Troy,"  he 
cried.  ''Who  knows  whether  the  Greeks  have 
really  gone  away .?  It  may  be  that  there  are 
armed  men  inside  this  Horse ;  ,  it  may  be 
that  it  has  been  made  so  big  to  overtop 
the  walls  of  the  city.  Anyhow  I  am  afraid 
of  these  Greeks,  even  when  they  give  us 
gifts."  And  as  he  spoke,  he  threw  the  spear 
which  he  had  in  his  hand  at  the  Horse  of 
Wood,  and  struck  it  on  the  side.  A  great 
rattling  sound  was  heard,  and  the  Trojans, 
if  they  had  not  been  very  blind  and  fooHsh, 
might  have  known  that  there  was  something 
wrong. 

While  the  dispute  was  going  on,  some 
shepherds  came  up,  bringing  with  them  a 
man  whose  hands  were  bound  behind  his 
back.     He  had  come  out  from  a  hiding-place, 

17 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

they  said,  of  his  own  accord,  when  they  were 
in  the  field.  The  young  Trojans  crowded 
round  him,  and  began  to  mock  at  him,  but 
he  cried  out  in  a  very  piteous  voice:  **What 
shall  I  do?  where  shall  I  go?  the  Greeks 
will  not  let  me  live,  and  the  Trojans  cry 
out  for  vengeance  upon  me."  Then  they 
began  to  pity  him,  and  they  bade  him  say 
who  he  was  and  what  he  had  to  tell. 

Then  the  man  turned  to  King  Priam,  and 
said:  *'I  will  speak  the  truth,  whatever  may 
happen  to  me.  My  name  is  Sinon,  and  I 
will  not  deny  that  I  am  a  Greek.  Perhaps 
you  have  heard  of  one  Palamedes.  The 
Greeks  put  him  to  death,  saying  that  he 
was  a  traitor;  but  his  only  fault  was  that 
he  wanted  to  have  peace.  Yes,  they  put 
him  to  death,  and  now  that  he  is  dead,  they 
are  sorry.  I  was  a  cousin  of  his,  and  my 
father  sent  me  with  him  to  Troy.  So  long 
as  he  prospered,  I  prospered  also;  but  when 
he  was  done  to  death  by  the  false  witness 
of  Ulysses,  I  fell  into  great  grief  and  trouble, 
nor  could  I  be  silent;  I  swore  that  if  ever 
I  got  back  to  Argos,  I  would  have  revenge 
on  those  who  had  brought  him  to  his  death. 

i8 


THE    HORSE    OF   WOOD 

So  Ulysses  was  always  on  the  look-out  to 
do  me  some  harm;  and  at  the  last  by  the 
help  of  Calchas  the  prophet  —  but  why  do 
I  tell  you  of  these  things  ?  Doubtless  you 
hold  one  Greek  as  bad  as  another.  Kill  me, 
if  you  will;  only  remember  that  this  is  the 
very  thing  which  the  two  sons  of  Atreus 
wish,  the  very  thing  which  Ulysses  himself 
would  give  much  money  to  secure." 

Then  the  Trojans  said:  **Tell  us  more." 
And  he  went  on.  ''Many  times  would  the 
Greeks  have  gone  home,  for  they  were  very 
tired  of  the  war,  but  the  sea  was  so  stormy 
that  they  dared  not  go.  Then  they  made 
this  great  Horse  of  Wood  which  you  see, 
but  the  storms  grew  worse  and  worse.  Then 
they  sent  to  ask  Apollo  what  they  should 
do.  And  Apollo  said:  'Men  of  Greece, 
when  you  came  here  you  had  to  appease 
the  winds  with  blood,  and  you  must  appease 
them  with  blood  again  when  you  go  away/ 
Every  one  trembled  when  they  heard  this, 
for  every  one  feared  that  it  might  be  his 
blood  that  would  be  wanted.  After  a  while 
Ulysses  brought  the  prophet  into  the  assembly 
of  the   people,   and   said:   'Tell   us   now  who 

19 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS 

is  it  that  the  gods  will  have  for  a  victim?' 
Then  many  thought  that  it  was  I  against 
whom  Ulysses  was  plotting.  For  nine  days 
the  prophet  said  nothing:  'He  would  not 
give  any  Greek,'  he  said,  'to  death.'  These 
were  his  words,  but  in  truth  he  and  Ulysses 
had  plotted  the  whole  thing  between  them. 
On  the  tenth  day  he  spoke,  and  said:  *Sinon 
is  the  man.'  To  this  all  agreed,  every  man 
thinking,  'Well,  it  is  not  I  that  shall  die.' 
So  they  fixed  a  day  on  which  I  was  to  be 
sacrificed,  and  made  everything  ready.  But 
before  it  came,  I  broke  my  chains  and  escaped, 
hiding  myself  in  the  reeds  of  a  pond,  till 
they  should  set  sail.  And  now  I  shall  never 
see  my  own  country  again;  no,  nor  my  wife 
and  children,  and,  doubtless,  these  cruel  men 
will  take  vengeance  on  them  because  I 
escaped.  And  now  I  beseech  you,  O  King, 
to  have  pity  on  me,  for  I  have  suffered  much, 
though,  indeed,  I  have  not  done  harm  to 
any   man." 

Then  King  Priam  had  pity  on  him  and 
bade  them  unbind  his  hands,  saying:  "Forget 
your  own  people;  from  to-day  you  are  one 
of    us.      But     tell     us     now,     why     did     the 

20 


THE    HORSE    OF   WOOD 

Greeks  make  this  great  Horse  of  Wood  that 
we  see  ? " 

Then  Sinon  lifted  up  his  hands  to  the  sky 
and  said:  ''O  sun  and  moon  and  stars,  I 
call  you  to  witness  that  I  have  a  good  right 
to  tell  the  secrets  of  my  countrymen.  Listen, 
O  King.  From  the  beginning,  when  the 
Greeks  first  came  to  this  place,  their  hope 
has  been  in  the  help  of  Minerva.  But  she 
was  angry  with  them  for  this  cause.  Ulysses 
and  Diomed  made  their  way  into  your  city, 
and  climbed  into  the  citadel,  and  killed  the 
guards.  And  then  with  hands  all  bloody 
from  the  slaughter,  they  laid  hold  of  her 
image  and  carried  it  away.^  It  was  this  that 
made  the  goddess  angry,  that  they  should 
dare  to  touch  her  with  hands  stained  with 
blood.  I  saw  with  my  own  eyes  how  the 
eyes  of  the  image,  when  these  two  brought 
it  into  the  camp,  flashed  with  anger,  and 
how  the  drops  of  sweat  stood  upon  it;  yes, 
and  how  it  leapt  three  times  from  the  ground, 
shaking  shield  and  spear.  Then  the  prophet 
said:    'You    must    go    back    to    Greece,    and 

*  It  was  said  that  as  long  as  the  image  of  Minerva  remained  in 
the  temple  Troy  could  not  be  taken. 

21 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

come  again,  and  begin  the  war  again,  if  you 
wish  to  take  the  city  of  Troy'  —  and  this 
they  are  doing  now;  they  have  gone  back 
to  Greece,  and  they  will  soon  return.  Further- 
more, he  said:  *You  must  make  a  Horse  of 
Wood  to  be  a  peace-offering  to  Minerva. 
Make  it,  I  advise  you,  very  great,  so  that  the 
Trojans  may  not  take  it  within  their  walls. 
For,  if  they  do  so  take  it,  then  you  will 
never  conquer  their  city.  Nay,  they  will 
come  to  our  own  land,  and  lay  siege  to  our 
cities,  and  our  children  will  suffer  the  things 
which  we  have  sought  to  bring  on  them. 
But  if  they  hurt  the  thing,  then  they  them- 
selves shall  perish.'" 

This  was  the  tale  that  Sinon  told,  and  the 
Trojans  believed  it.  Nor  is  this  to  be 
wondered  at,  because  the  gods  themselves 
took  part  in  deceiving  them.  For  while 
Laocoon,  the  priest  of  Neptune,  the  same  that 
had  thrown  his  spear  at  the  Horse,  was 
sacrificing  a  bull  on  the  altar  of  his  god, 
two  great  serpents  came  across  the  sea  from 
a  certain  island  that  was  near.  All  the 
Trojans  saw  them  come,  with  their  heads 
raised   high   above   the   water,   as   is   the   way 

22 


THE   HORSE   OF   WOOD 

of  snakes  to  swim.  And  when  they  reached 
the  land  they  came  on  straight  to  the  city. 
Their  eyes  were  red  as  blood,  and  blazed 
like  fire,  and  they  made  a  dreadful  hissing 
with  their  tongues.  The  Trojans  grew  pale 
with  fear,  and  fled.  But  the  serpents  did 
not  turn  this  way  or  that,  but  came  straight 
to  the  altar  at  which  Laocoon  stood,  with 
his  two  sons  by  him.  And  one  serpent  laid 
hold  on  one  of  the  boys,  and  the  other  on  the 
other,  and  they  began  to  devour  them.  Then 
the  father  picked  up  a  sword,  and  tried  to 
help  them,  but  they  caught  hold  of  him, 
and  wound  their  folds  round  him.  Twice 
did  they  wind  themselves  round  his  body 
and  his  neck,  and  their  heads  stood  high 
above  his  head.  And  he  still  tried  as  hard 
as  he  could  to  tear  them  away  with  his 
hands,  and  the  garlands  which  he  bore,  being 
a  priest,  dripped  with  blood.  And  all  the 
time  he  cried  aloud  as  a  bull  roars  when 
the  servant  of  the  temple  strikes  him  un- 
skilfully, and  he  flies  from  the  altar.  And 
when  the  serpents  had  done  their  work,  and 
both  the  priest  and  his  sons  were  dead,  then 
they   glided   to   the   hill   on   which   stood   the 

23 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

Temple  of  Minerva,  and  hid  themselves  under 
the  feet  of  the  image.  And  v^hen  the 
Trojans  saw  this,  they  said  to  themselves: 
"Now  Laocoon  has  suffered  the  due  reward 
of  his  deeds,  for  he  threw  his  spear  at  the 
holy  thing  which  belongs  to  the  goddess, 
and  now  he  is  dead  and  his  sons  with  him." 

Then  they  all  cried  out  together  that  the 
Horse  of  Wood  should  be  drawn  into  the 
citadel.  So  they  opened  the  great  gate  of 
the  city,  pulling  down  part  of  the  wall  that 
there  might  be  more  room,  and  they  put 
rollers  under  the  feet  of  the  Horse,  and  they 
fastened  ropes  to  it.  Then  they  drew  it  into 
the  city,  boys  and  girls  laying  hold  of  the 
ropes,  and  singing  songs  with  great  joy. 
And  every  one  thought  it  a  great  thing  if 
he  could  put  his  hand  to  a  rope.  But  there 
were  not  wanting  signs  of  evil  to  come. 
Four  times  did  the  Horse  halt  as  they 
dragged  it,  before  it  passed  through  the 
gate,  and  each  time  there  might  have  been 
heard  a  great  clashing  of  arms  within.  Also 
Cassandra  opened  her  mouth,  and  prophesied 
the  fate  of  the  city;  but  no  one  took  any 
heed    of    her    words,    for    it    was    her    doom 

24 


THE    HORSE   OF   WOOD 

that  she  should  speak  the  truth  and  not  be 
beUeved.  So  the  Trojans  drew  the  Horse 
of  Wood  into  the  city.  That  night  they 
kept  a  feast  to  the  gods  with  great  joy,  not 
knowing  that  the  end  of  their  city  was  now 
close  at  hand. 


25 


CHAPTER   II 
THE  SACK  OF  TROY 


CHAPTER   II 

THE    SACK   OF   TROY 

Now  the  Greeks  had  only  made  a  show  of 
going  away.  They  had  taken  their  ships, 
indeed,  from  the  place  where  they  had  been 
drawn  up  on  the  coast  of  Troy,  but  they 
had  not  taken  them  farther  than  a  little 
island  which  was  close  by.  There  they  hid 
themselves,  ready  to  come  back  when  the 
signal  was  given.  When  it  was  quite  dark 
the  signal  was  given;  a  burning  torch  was 
raised  from  the  ship  of  King  Agamemnon, 
which  was  in  the  middle  of  the  fleet.  When 
the  Greeks  saw  this  they  got  on  board  their 
ships,  and  rowed  across  from  the  island.  The 
moon  gave  them  light,  and  there  was  a 
great  calm  on  the  sea.  At  the  same  time 
Sinon  opened  the  door  in  the  Horse  of  Wood, 
and  let  out  the  chiefs  who  were  hidden  in 
it.  And  all  the  time  the  Trojans  were  fast 
asleep,  not  thinking  of  any  danger. 

Now  <^neas,  who  was  the  chief  hope  and 
29 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

stay  of  the  Trojans,  had  a  dream.  He  dreamt 
that  he  saw  Hector,  the  brave  chief  who 
had  been  killed  by  Achilles.  He  saw  him 
not  as  he  was  in  the  old  time,  when  he 
came  back  from  the  battle,  bringing  back 
the  arms  of  Achilles,  which  he  had  taken 
from  Patroclus;  not  as  he  was  when  he  was 
setting  fire  to  the  ships,  and  the  Greeks 
could  not  stand  against  him,  but  as  he  was 
when  he  lay  dead.  He  was  covered  with 
dust  and  blood,  and  his  feet  were  pierced 
through  with  thongs,  for  Achilles  had  dragged 
him  at  the  wheels  of  his  chariot  three  times 
round  the  walls  of  Troy. 

When  iEneas  saw  him  he  forgot  all  that 
had  happened,  and  said:  *'Why  have  you 
been  so  long  in  coming?  We  have  missed 
you  much,  and  suffered  much  because  you 
were  not  here  to  help  us.  But  why  do 
you  look  so  miserable  ?  Who  has  given 
you  these  wounds  ? " 

To  these  questions  the  spirit  made  no 
answer.  All  that  he  said  was  this:  "Fly, 
^neas,  fly,  and  save  yourself  from  these 
flames.  The  enemy  is  inside  our  walls,  and 
Troy    is    lost.     The    gods    would    have    it    so, 

30 


THE    SACK    OF   TROY 

If  any  one  could  have  saved  the  city,  I 
should  have  done  it.  But  it  was  not  to  be. 
You  are  now  Troy's  only  hope.  Take,  then, 
the  gods  of  your  country,  and  flee  across  the 
sea;  there  some  day  you  shall  build  another 
Troy." 

And  iEneas  woke  from  his  sleep,  and  while 
he  lay  thinking  about  the  dream  he  heard 
a  great  sound,  and  it  seemed  to  him  like 
to  the  sound  of  arms.  So  he  rose  from  his 
bed,  and  climbed  on  the  roof,  and  looked 
at  the  city.  Just  so  a  shepherd  stands  upon 
a  hill  and  sees,  it  may  be,  a  great  fire  blown 
by  a  strong  wind  from  the  south,  and  sweep- 
ing over  the  corn-fields,  or  a  flood  rushing 
down  from  the  mountains.  As  he  looked 
he  saw  the  fire  burst  out  first  from  one  great 
palace  and  then  from  another,  till  the  very 
sea  shone  with  the  light  of  the  burning  city. 
Then  he  knew  that  what  Hector  had  told 
him  in  the  dream  was  true,  that  the  Greeks 
had  made  their  way  into  the  city.  So  he 
put  on  his  armour,  though  he  did  not  know 
what  he  could  do.  Still,  he  thought  to 
himself:  "I  may  be  able  to  help  Troy  in 
some    way;     anyhow,    I    can    avenge    myself 

31 


.ENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

on  the  enemy;  at  the  least  I  can  die  with 
honour."  Just  as  he  was  going  out  of  his 
house  the  priest  of  Apollo  met  him.  He 
was  leading  his  little  grandson  by  the  hand, 
and  on  his  other  arm  he  was  carrying  an 
image  of  the  god.  When  he  saw  ^Eneas 
he  cried  out:  *'0  iEneas,  the  glory  is  gone 
from  Troy;  the  Greeks  have  the  mastery 
in  the  city.  Armed  men  have  come  out  of 
the  Horse  of  Wood,  and  thousands  have  got 
in  by  the  gates,  which  that  traitor  Sinon 
has  opened."  While  he  was  speaking,  others 
came  up,  one  of  them  being  young  Coroebus, 
who  had  come  to  Troy,  hoping  to  get  the 
prophetess  Cassandra  for  his  wife.  ^Eneas 
said  to  them:  ** Brothers,  if  you  are  willing 
to  follow  me  to  the  death,  come  on.  You 
see  what  has  happened.  The  gods  who  used 
to  guard  our  city  have  gone  from  it;  no- 
where is  any  help  to  be  found.  Still,  we 
may  die  as  brave  men  die  in  battle.  Ay, 
and  it  may  be  that  he  who  is  willing  to 
lose  his  life  may  save  it."  Then  they  all 
followed  him,  and  they  went  through  the 
city  as  fierce  as  hungry  wolves  when  they 
come  down  from  the  mountains. 

32 


THE    SACK    OF   TROY 

The  first  thing  that  happened  was  this. 
A  certain  Greek  chieftain,  who  had  many 
men  with  him,  met  them,  and  mistook  them 
for  his  own  countrymen.  **Make  haste,  my 
friends!"  he  cried;  "why  are  you  so  late? 
We  are  spoiling  the  city,  and  you  have  only 
just  come  from  the  ships."  But  when  they 
made  no  answer,  he  looked  again,  and  saw 
that  he  had  fallen  among  enemies.  So  a 
man  comes  upon  the  snake  among  the  rocks, 
and  when  it  rises,  with  great  swelling  neck, 
he  tries  to  fly.  So  the  chieftain  turned  to 
fly;  but  the  place  was  strange  to  him,  and 
he  and  many  of  his  company  were  killed. 
Then  Corcebus  said:  "We  have  good  luck, 
my  friends.  Let  us  now  change  our  shields 
and  put  on  the  armour  of  the  Greeks.  Who 
can  blame  us  for  deceiving  these  Greeks?" 
Then  he  took  the  shield  and  helmet  of  the 
Greek  chieftain,  who  had  been  slain,  and 
his  sword  also.  The  others  did  the  same, 
and  so  disguising  himself  he  killed  many  of 
the  Greeks.  Others  fled  to  the  ships,  and 
some  climbed  up  again  into  the  Horse  of 
Wood. 

As    they    went    through    the    city    they  met 

33 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

a  number  of  men  who  were  dragging  the 
prophetess  Cassandra  from  the  temple  of 
Minerva,  in  which  she  had  taken  refuge. 
When  Coroebus,  who,  as  has  been  said,  hoped 
to  marry  Cassandra,  saw  this,  and  how  she 
lifted  up  her  eyes  to  heaven  —  her  hands  she 
could  not  lift  because  they  were  bound  with 
iron  —  he  was  mad  with  rage,  and  rushed  at 
the  men,  seeking  to  set  the  girl  free,  and 
all  the  other  Trojans  followed  him.  Then 
there  happened  a  very  dreadful  thing.  There 
were  many  Trojans  standing  on  the  roofs  of 
temples  and  houses  close  by;  these  men, 
when  they  saw  Coroebus  and  the  others  with 
the  Greek  armour  on  them,  which  they  had 
taken,  took  them  for  Greeks,  and  threw  spears 
at  them  and  killed  many.  And  the  Greeks 
also  began  to  fight  more  fiercely  than  before, 
and  those  who  had  fled  to  the  ships  came 
back  again.  Altogether  they  gathered  a  great 
company  together,  and  the  Trojans,  of  whom 
there  were  but  very  few,  could  not  stand  up 
against  them.  Coroebus  was  killed  first  of 
all,  and  then  almost  all  the  others,  good  and 
bad,  for  it  was  the  day  of  doom  for  the 
Trojans.     At   last   iEneas   was   left   with   only 

34 


THE    SACK   OF   TROY 

two  companions,  one  of  them  an  old  man, 
and  the  other  hardly  able  to  move  for  a 
wound  which  Ulysses  had  given  him. 

As  he  stood  thinking  what  he  should  do, 
he  heard  a  great  shouting,  and  it  seemed  to 
come  from  the  palace  of  King  Priam.  So 
he  said  to  his  companions:  "Let  us  go  and 
see  whether  we  can  help."  And  when  they 
got  there  they  found  a  fiercer  battle  than 
any  that  they  had  seen  before  in  the  city. 
Some  of  the  Greeks  were  trying  to  climb 
up  the  walls.  They  had  put  ladders  against 
them,  and  they  stood  on  the  steps  high  up, 
grasping  the  edge  of  the  roof  in  one  hand, 
and  holding  their  shields  with  the  other. 
And  the  Trojans,  knowing  that  there  was 
no  hope  of  escaping,  tore  down  the  battle- 
ments and  threw  the  big  stones  at  the  heads 
of  the  Greeks.  Now  ^Eneas  knew  of  a 
secret  way  into  the  palace.  By  this  Hector's 
wife  Andromache  had  been  used  to  come 
from  Hector's  palace,  bringing  her  little 
boy  with  her  to  see  his  grandfather  King 
Priam.  So  he  was  able  to  climb  up  on 
to  the  roof,  without  being  seen  by  the 
Greeks,    and    to    join    his    countrymen    who 

35 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS 

were  defending  the  palace.  There  was  a 
high  tower  on  the  roof,  so  high  that  all 
the  city  of  Troy  could  be  seen  from  it, 
and  the  camp  of  the  Greeks,  and  the  ships. 
The  Trojans  broke  away  the  foundations  of 
this  tower  with  bars  of  iron,  and  toppled 
it  over,  so  that  it  fell  upon  the  Greeks, 
and  killed  many  of  them.  But  the  others 
pressed  on  just  as  fiercely  as  before,  throw- 
ing javelins  and  stones  and  anything  that 
came  to  their  hands  at  the  Trojans  on  the 
roof. 

While  some  were  trying  to  climb  up  on 
to  the  roof,  others  were  breaking  down  the 
gates  of  the  palace.  The  leader  of  them 
was  the  son  of  Achilles,  Pyrrhus  by  name. 
He  wore  shining  armour  of  bronze,  and 
was  as  bright  as  a  great  snake  which  has 
slept  in  his  hole  all  the  winter,  and  when 
the  spring  begins,  comes  out  with  a  new 
shining  skin  into  the  sunshine  and  lifts  his 
head  high  and  hisses  with  his  forked  tongue. 
He  had  a  great  battle-axe,  which  he  held 
in  both  his  hands,  and  with  this  he  hewed 
through  the  doors;  the  very  door-posts  he 
broke  down  with  it,  making  what  one  might 

36 


THE    SACK    OF   TROY 

call  a  great  window,  through  which  could 
be  seen  the  great  palace  within,  the  hall  of 
King  Priam  and  of  the  kings  who  haa 
reigned  in  Troy  before  him.  And  those 
who  were  inside  also  could  see  the  armed 
men  who  were  breaking  in,  and  they  made 
a  great  cry;  and  the  women  wailed  and 
clung  to  the  doors  and  pillars,  and  kissed 
them,  because  they  thought  that  they  should 
never  see  them  any  more.  There  were  men 
who  had  been  put  to  guard  the  gates,  but 
they  could  not  stop  the  son  of  Achilles,  for 
he  was  as  fierce  and  as  strong  as  his  father 
had  been.  He  and  his  people  were  hke  to 
a  river  that  is  swollen  with  much  rain  and 
bursts  its  banks,  and  overflows  all  the  plain. 
Just  so  did  the  Greeks  rush  into  the  palace. 

When  old  King  Priam  saw  the  enemy 
in  his  hall  he  put  on  his  armour.  He  had 
not  worn  it  for  many  years,  so  old  he  was, 
but  now  he  felt  that  he  must  fight  for  his 
home.  And  he  took  a  spear  in  his  hand, 
and  would  have  gone  against  the  Greeks. 
But  his  wife.  Queen  Hecuba,  called  to  him 
from  the  place  where  she  sat.  She  and  her 
daughter    and    the    wives    of    her    sons     had 

37 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

fled  to  the  great  altar  of  the  gods  of  the 
household,  and  were  clinging  to  it.  They 
were  Kke  to  a  flock  of  doves  which  have 
been  driven  by  a  storm  into  a  wood.  The 
altar  stood  in  an  open  court  which  was  in 
the  middle  of  the  palace,  and  a  great  bay  tree 
stood  by,  and  covered  it  with  its  branches. 
When  she  saw  how  her  husband  had  put 
on  his  armour,  as  if  he  were  a  young  man, 
she  cried  to  him,  saying:  "What  has  be- 
witched you  that  you  have  put  on  your 
armour?  It  is  not  the  sword  that  can  help 
us  to-day;  no,  not  if  my  own  dear  Hector, 
who  was  the  bravest  of  the  brave,  were 
here.  It  is  in  the  gods  and  their  altars 
that  we  must  trust.  Come  and  sit  with 
us;  here  you  will  be  safe,  or,  at  least,  we  shall 
all  die  together." 

So  she  made  the  old  man  sit  down  in 
the  midst  of  them.  But  lo!  there  came 
flying  through  the  hall  of  the  palace  one 
of  the  sons  of  the  king,  Polites  by  name. 
Pyrrhus  had  wounded  him,  but  the  lad  had 
fled,  and  Pyrrhus  was  close  behind  with 
his  spear.  And  just  as  he  came  within 
sight    of   his    father    and  his    mother    he    fell 

38 


THE    SACK    OF   TROY 

dead  upon  the  ground.  When  King  Priam 
saw  this  he  could  not  contain  himself,  but 
cried  aloud,  saying:  ''Now  may  the  gods 
punish  you  for  this  wickedness,  you  who  have 
killed  a  son  before  the  eyes  of  his  father 
and  his  mother.  You  say  that  you  are  a 
son  of  the  great  Achilles,  but  when  you  say 
it  you  lie.  It  was  not  thus  that  Achilles 
treated  me.  For  when  he  had  slain  my  son 
Hector,  and  I  went  to  him  to  beg  the 
body  for  burial,  he  gave  it  to  me  for  due 
ransom,  and  sent  me  back  to  my  own  city 
without  harm." 

So  did  King  Priam  speak;  then  he  took  up 
a  spear  and  cast  it  at  Pyrrhus,  but  there 
was  no  strength  in  his  blow.  It  did  but 
shake  the  shield,  not  piercing  it  at  all,  and 
falling  idly  on  the  ground.  Then  said  the 
son  of  Achilles:  ''Go,  tell  my  father  of 
his  unworthy  son,  and  of  the  wicked  deeds 
which  he  doeth.  And  that  you  may  tell 
him,  die!"  And  as  he  spoke  he  caught 
the  old  man's  white  hair  with  his  left  hand 
and  dragged  him,  slipping  as  he  went  in 
the  blood  of  his  son,  to  the  altar,  and  with 
his    right    hand    he    lifted    up    his    sword  and 

39 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

drove  it,  up  to  the  very  hilt,  into  the  old 
man's  body.  So  died  King  Priam.  Once 
he  had  ruled  over  many  cities  and  peoples 
in  the  land  of  Asia,  and  now,  after  he  had 
seen  his  city  taken  and  his  palace  spoiled, 
he  was  slain  and  his  carcass  was  cast  out 
upon  the  earth,  headless  and  without  a 
name. 


40 


CHAPTER  in 
.ENEAS  AND  ANCHISES 


CHAPTER    III 


i^NEAS    AND    ANCHISES 


iENEAS  from  his  place  on  the  roof  saw  all 
these  things,  for  they  were  done  in  the  open 
court  that  was  in  the  middle  of  the  palace. 
He  saw  them,  indeed,  but  he  could  give 
no  help,  being  but  one  against  many.  But  the 
sight  of  the  old  man  lying  dead  made  him 
think  of  his  own  father,  and  so  of  his  wife 
Creiisa,  and  of  his  little  son  Ascanius,  and  how 
he  had  left  them  at  home  alone  and  without 
defence.  As  he  thought  to  himself:  *' Shall 
I  not  return  to  them,  for  here  I  can  do 
nothing?"  he  turned  his  eyes  and  saw  Helen  in 
the  temple  of  Vesta.  She  was  sitting  by  the 
altar,  hoping  to  be  safe  in  the  holy  place. 
She  was  greatly  afraid,  tearing  the  Trojans, 
upon  whom  she  had  brought  ruin,  and  her 
husband  whom  she  had  deceived.  When 
iEneas  saw  her  he  was  full  of  rage;  and 
he  said  to  himself:  ''Shall  this  wicked 
woman    go    safe    to    Sparta  ?     Shall    she    see 

43 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

again  her  home  and  her  children,  taking, 
it  may  be,  women  of  Troy  to  be  her  hand- 
maidens ?  Shall  Troy  be  burnt  and  King 
Priam  be  slain,  and  she,  who  is  the  cause 
of  all  this  trouble,  come  to  no  harm  ?  It 
shall  not  be;  I  myself  will  kill  her.  There 
is  no  glory  in  such  a  deed;  who  can  get 
honour  from  the  death  of  a  woman?  Never- 
theless I  shall  be  taking  vengeance  for  my 
kinsfolk  and   my  countrymen." 

But  while  he  thought  these  things  in  his 
heart,  there  appeared  to  him  his  mother, 
^/"nT'<5.  in  such  a  shape  as  he  had  never 
seen  her  before,  not  like  to  a  woman  of 
the  earth,  but  tall  and  fair,  as  the  gods 
who  dwell  in  Heaven  see  her.  Venus  said 
to  him:  **What  means  this  rage,  my  son? 
Have  you  no  thought  for  me  ?  Have  you 
forgotten  your  old  father  Anchises,  and  your 
wife,  and  your  little  son?  Surely  the  fire 
had  burnt  them  up  long  ago,  if  I  had  not 
cared  for  them,  and  preserved  them.  And 
as  for  Helen,  why  are  you  angry  with  her? 
It  is  not  she,  it  is  not  Paris,  that  has  brought 
this  great  city  of  Troy  to  ruin;  it  is  the 
anger    of   the    gods.     See    now;    I    will    take 

44 


iENEAS  AND    ANCHISES 

away  the  mist  that  is  over  your  eyes.  Look 
there;  see  how  Neptune,  god  of  the  sea, 
is  overthrowing  the  walls  with  his  three- 
forked  spear,  and  is  rooting  up  the  city  from 
its  foundations !  See  there,  again,  how  Juno 
stands  in  the  great  gate  of  the  city,  with  a 
spear  in  her  hand,  and  great  hosts  of  Greeks 
from  the  ships !  See  how  Minerva  sits  upon 
the  citadel,  with  a  storm  cloud  round  her, 
and  her  awful  shield  upon  her  arm !  See 
how  Father  Jupiter  himself  stirs  up  the 
enemies  of  Troy!  Fly,  my  son;  I  will  be 
with  you,  and  will  not  leave  you  till  you 
reach  your  father's  house."  When  she  had 
so  spoken  she  vanished  into  the  night. 

Then  ^Eneas  looked,  as  his  mother  bade 
him,  and  saw  the  dreadful  forms  of  gods, 
and  how  they  were  destroying  the  city,  and 
all  the  place  seemed,  as  he  looked,  to  be 
sinking  down  into  the  fire.  Just  as  an 
oak  in  the  mountains,  at  which  the  woodmen 
cut  with  their  axes,  bows  its  head,  with  its 
branches  shaking  round  about  it,  till  at  last, 
after  bearing  many  blows,  it  falls  at  once, 
and  crashes  down  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
so  Troy  seemed  to  fall.     When  he  had   seen 

45 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

this,  he  turned  to  go  to  his  own  home.  His 
mother  was  by  his  side,  though  he  could 
not  see  her,  and  he  passed  through  the  flames, 
and  was  not  hurt,  nor  did  the  spear  of  the 
enemy  wound  him. 

When  he  got  to  his  home,  he  thought 
first  of  the  old  man,  his  father,  and  said  to 
him:  "Come  now,  let  me  carry  you  away 
from  this  city,  to  a  safe  place  among  the 
hills."  But  Anchises  would  not  go.  He 
did  not  wish  to  live  in  some  strange  country 
when  Troy  had  been  destroyed.  *'No,"  he 
said;  "do  you,  who  are  strong  and  who 
have  many  days  to  live,  fly.  I  will  stay. 
If  the  gods  had  wished  me  to  live,  they 
would  have  preserved  this  place  for  me.  It 
is  enough  for  me,  yea,  more  than  enough, 
that  already  I  have  seen  this  city  taken, 
and  lived.  Say  good-bye  to  me,  therefore, 
as  you  would  say  good-bye  to  a  dying  man. 
Death  I  will  find  myself,  or,  at  least,  the 
enemy  will  find  it  for  me,  when  they  come. 
Already  I  have  lived  too  long." 

So  Anchises  spoke,  nor  could  they  persuade 
him  to  change  his  mind,  though  his  son, 
and   his   son's  wife,   and   even   the   little  child 

46 


^NEAS  AND    ANCHISES 

Ascanius  begged  him  with  many  tears. 
When  iEneas  saw  that  he  could  not  change 
the  old  man's  purpose,  he  said  to  himself: 
"What  shall  I  do  ?  I  will  go  back  to  the 
battle  and  die.  Oh,  my  father,  did  you  think 
that  I  would  leave  you  and  fly?  This  was 
a  thing  surely  that  you  should  never  have 
said.  If  the  gods  will  have  it  that  nothing 
of  Troy  should  be  left;  if  it  is  your  will 
that  you  and  I  and  all  your  house  should 
perish  with  the  city;  be  it  so.  The  way  to 
bring  this  to  pass  is  easy.  Pyrrhus  will  soon 
be  here,  Pyrrhus  red  with  the  blood  of  King 
Priam,  Pyrrhus  who  slays  the  son  in  the 
sight  of  his  father,  and  the  father  at  the  altar. 
Was  it  for  this,  O  Venus  my  mother,  that 
you  brought  me  safe  through  the  flames,  and 
thrust  aside  the  spears  of  the  enemy,  that 
I  might  see  my  father  and  my  wife  and 
my  son  lie  in  one  heap,  slaughtered  by  the 
enemy  ?  Comrade,  give  me  my  arms ;  we 
will  go  back  to  the  battle,  and  die  there,  as 
brave  men  should." 

Then  he  put  on  his  armour,  and  took  up 
his  spear.  But  as  he  was  going  out  of  the 
door,    his    wife    Creiisa    threw    herself   on  the 

47 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

ground  and  caught  his  feet.  She  held  out 
to  him  the  child  Ascanius,  and  cried:  "If 
you  are  going  back  to  the  battle  that  you 
may  die  there,  then  take  your  wife  and 
child  with  you.  For  why  should  we  live 
when  you  are  dead  ?  But  if  you  have  any 
hope  that  arms  may  help  us,  stay  here,  and 
guard  your  father  and  your  wife  and  your 
son." 

While  she  was  speaking  there  happened 
a  most  wonderful  thing.  A  fire  was  seen 
to  shine  upon  the  head  of  the  child  Ascanius, 
to  play  round  his  long  curls,  and  to  sparkle 
on  his  forehead.  His  father  and  his  mother 
saw  it,  and  were  astonished.  At  first  they 
thought  that  it  was  a  real  fire,  and  would 
have  fetched  water  with  which  to  put  it 
out.  But  when  the  old  man  Anchises,  who 
was  wise  in  such  matters,  saw  it,  he  was 
very  glad,  for  he  knew  that  this  was  no 
common  fire,  but  a  token  of  other  things, 
that  the  child  was  dear  to  the  gods.  He 
looked  up  to  heaven,  and  cried:  **0  Father 
Jupiter,  if  thou  hearest  prayer  at  all,  hear  me 
now,  and  give  us  a  sign."  While  he  was 
speaking,   there    was    heard    a    great    clap    of 

48 


iENEAS    AND   ANCHISES 

thunder  on  the  left  hand,  and  a  star  was  seen 
to  shoot  through  the  skies,  leaving  a  long 
trail  of  light  behind  it,  passing  over  the 
city,  till  it  was  hidden  behind  the  woods 
of  Ida.  When  the  old  man  saw  this  he 
rose  from  the  place  where  he  was  sitting, 
and  bowed  his  head,  and  said:  *'I  will  make 
no  more  delay;  lead  on,  and  I  will  follow; 
O  gods  of  my  country,  save  my  house,  and 
my   grandson.     This    sign    came    from    you." 

Then  said  iEneas,  for  the  fire  was  coming 
nearer,  and  the  light  growing  brighter,  and 
the  heat  more  fierce:  ** Climb,  dear  father, 
on  my  shoulders;  I  will  carry  you,  nor  shall  I 
be  tired  by  the  weight.  We  will  be  saved,  or 
we  will  perish  together.  The  little  Ascanius 
shall  go  with  me,  and  my  wife  shall  follow 
behind,  but  not  too  near."  Then  he  turned 
to  the  servants,  and  said:  "Men  of  my  house, 
listen  to  me.  You  know  that  as  one  goes 
out  of  the  city  there  is  a  tomb  and  a  temple 
of  Ceres  in  a  lonely  place,  with  an  old  cypress 
tree  close  by.  That  is  the  place  where  we 
will  meet.  Each  by  different  ways,  not  all  to- 
gether, that  we  may  not  be  seen  by  the  enemy. 
And  do  you,  my  father,  take  in  your  hands 
D  49 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

the  images  of  the  household  gods.  My  hands 
are  red  with  blood,  and  I  must  not  touch 
holy  things  till  I  have  washed  them  in  running 
water." 

Then  he  put  a  lion's  skin  upon  his  shoulders 
and  stooped  down,  and  the  old  man  Anchises 
climbed  upon  them.  And  the  boy  Ascanius 
laid  hold  of  his  hand,  keeping  pace  with  his 
father  as  best  he  could  with  his  little  steps. 
And  Creiisa  followed  behind.  So  he  went, 
with  many  fears.  He  had  not  been  afraid  of 
the  swords  and  spears  of  the  enemy,  but  now 
he  was  full  of  fear  for  them  who  were  with 
him,  father  and  wife  and  child.  But  when 
he  had  nearly  got  to  the  gates  of  the  city 
there  happened  a  dreadful  thing.  There  was 
heard  a  great  sound  of  feet  in  the  darkness; 
and  the  old  man  cried:  ''Fly,  my  son,  fly; 
they  are  coming.  I  see  the  flashing  of  shields 
and  swords."  So  ^neas  hurried  on,  but  his 
wife  was  separated  from  him.  Whether  she 
lost  her  way,  or  whether  she  was  tired  and  sat 
down  to  rest  herself,  no  one  knew.  Only 
iEneas  never  saw  her  again;  nor  did  he  know 
that  she  was  lost,  till  all  the  company  met 
at  the  appointed  place,  and  she  alone  was  not 

50 


^NEAS   AND   ANCHISES 

among  them.  It  seemed  a  most  grievous 
thing  to  him,  and  he  made  loud  complaints 
against  both  gods  and  men.  Then  he  told 
his  comrades  that  they  must  take  care  of 
the  old  man  and  of  Ascanius,  and  that  he 
would  go  and  search  for  his  wife.  So  he 
went  first  to  the  gate  by  which  he  had  come 
out  of  the  city.  Then  he  went  to  his  house, 
thinking  that  by  some  chance  she  might  have 
gone  back  there.  He  found  the  house  indeed, 
but  the  Greeks  were  there,  and  it  was  nearly 
burnt.  After  this  he  went  to  the  citadel  and 
to  the  palace  of  King  Priam.  Her  he  saw 
not,  but  he  saw  in  the  temple  of  Juno  Ulysses 
and  Phoenix  keeping  guard  over  the  spoil, 
treasure  from  the  temples,  and  cups  of  gold, 
and  beautiful  robes,  and  long  lines  of  prisoners, 
women  and  children.  And  still  he  looked  for 
his  wife,  going  through  all  the  streets  of 
the  city,  and  calHng  her  name  aloud.  While 
he  was  doing  this  her  image  seemed  to  stand 
before  him.  It  was  she,  and  yet  another, 
so  tall  and  beautiful  did  she  seem.  And  the 
spirit  said:  *'Why  are  you  troubled?  These 
things  have  come  about  by  the  will  of  the 
gods.    Jupiter  himself  has  ordered   that  your 

51 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

Creiisa  should  not  sail  across  the  seas  with 
you.  You  have  a  long  journey  to  make,  and 
many  seas  to  cross  till  you  come  to  the  land 
of  Hesperia,  to  the  place  where  the  river 
Tiber  flows  softly  through  a  fair  and  fertile 
land.  There  you  shall  have  great  prosperity, 
and  shall  marry  a  wife  of  royal  race.  Weep  not 
for  your  Creiisa,  and  do  not  think  that  I  shall 
be  carried  away  to  be  the  bond  slave  of  some 
Greek  lady.  Such  a  lot  would  not  be  fitting 
for  one  who  comes,  as  I  come,  from  the  race 
of  the  kings  of  Troy  and  for  her  who  was  the 
daughter-in-law  of  Venus.  The  mother  of  the 
gods  keeps  me  in  this  land  to  be  her  servant. 
And  now  farewell.  Think  sometimes  of  me, 
and  love  the  child  Ascanius,  for  he  is  your 
child  and  mine." 

So  spake  the  spirit;  but  when  ^Eneas  would 
have  answered,  it  vanished  out  of  his  sight. 
Three  times  did  he  try  to  put  his  arms  round 
her,  and  three  times  it  seemed  to  slip  away 
from  him,  being  thin  and  light  as  air.  And 
now  the  night  was  far  spent  and  the  morning 
was  about  to  break.  So  he  went  back  to  his 
comrades  and  found,  much  to  his  joy,  that  there 
were  many  more  than  he  had  hoped  to  find,  a 

52 


^NEAS   AND   ANCHISES 

great  company  of  men  and  women,  all  ready  to 
follow  him  wherever  he  might  lead  them. 
And  now  the  morning  star,  which  goes  before 
the  sun,  rose  over  Mount  Ida,  and  iEneas, 
seeing  that  the  Greeks  were  in  possession  of 
Troy,  and  that  there  was  no  hope  of  help, 
again  took  his  father  on  his  shoulders,  and 
went  his  way  to  the  mountains,  his  people 
following  him. 


53 


CHAPTER    IV 
OF  THE  VOYAGE   OF  ^NEAS 


CHAPTER  IV 

OF  THE    VOYAGE    OF    ^NEAS 

As  long  as  the  Greeks  remained  in  the  land 
of  Troy,  iEneas  and  his  friends  lay  hid  among 
the  hills.  But  they  had  not  to  do  this  for 
very  long.  The  Greeks  were  glad  enough 
to  go  to  their  homes,  which  they  had  not 
seen  for  ten  years.  So  they  put  the  spoils 
which  they  had  taken  out  of  the  city,  with 
the  prisoners,  into  their  ships,  and  set  sail. 
Then  the  Trojans  came  out  of  their  hiding- 
places,  and  began  to  cut  down  pine  trees 
on  Mount  Ida  —  this  was  the  name  of  the 
biggest  of  the  hills,  among  which  they  had 
taken  refuge  —  and  to  build  ships.  They  had 
made  up  their  minds  to  leave  the  land  of 
Troy,  and  to  find  a  new  home  somewhere 
else.  This  was  the  second  time  that  the 
city  had  been  destroyed,  and  the  place  seemed 
to  be  unlucky.^     By  this  time  a  great  number 

*  It  was  built  again  not  long  afterwards.  About  twenty  years 
ago  some  one,  who  much  wanted  to  know  whether  there  ever  had 

57 


iENEID   FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

of  people  had  come  together.  Some  had 
escaped  in  one  way  or  another  from  the  city; 
some  had  been  sold  as  slaves,  and  had  run 
away  from  their  masters,  or  had  been  set 
free.  Many  ships,  therefore,  had  to  be  built; 
but  in  the  spring  all  was  ready,  and  they  set 
sail;  very  sorry  they  were  to  go,  for  they 
were  leaving  their  country  for  ever,  and  they 
did  not  know  where  they  should  find  another 
home. 

They  had  sailed  but  a  very  little  way  when 
they  came  to  a  country  called  Thrace.  For 
a  time  they  thought  that  this  was  just  the 
place  which  they  wanted.  The  Thracians 
had  been  very  good  friends  to  Troy  in  former 
times.  While  the  war  was  going  on  many 
of  their  warriors  had  come  to  fight  for  King 
Priam.  So  iEneas  began  to  make  a  plan 
for  a  city,  laying  the  foundation,  and  marking 
out  the  lines  of  streets  and  squares.  But 
while  he  was  busy  with  these  things,  he 
found  out  in  a  very  strange  way,  that  a 
very    dreadful    deed    had    been    done    by    the 

been  a  real  city  such  as  we  read  about  in  Homer,  had  what  was 
supposed  to  be  the  place  dug  up.  He  found  the  remains  of  seven 
cities,  one  on  the  top  of  the  other.  The  third  from  the  bottom  was 
Homer's  Troy,  the  Troy  of  Hector  and  ^neas. 

58 


OF   THE   VOYAGE    OF   .ENEAS 

King  of  Thrace,  and  that  he  had  better 
go  away  as  fast  as  he  could.  What  had 
happened  was  this.  While  Troy  was  still 
standing,  King  Priam  had  sent  away  one  of 
his  sons,  and  with  him  a  very  large  quantity 
of  gold,  to  the  King  of  Thrace.  This  man 
was  an  old  friend,  and  Priam  thought  to 
himself:  ''If  anything  should  happen  to 
Troy  and  to  me,  still  there  would  be  some- 
thing safe.  There  would  be  the  boy  to 
keep  up  the  old  name,  and  he  would  have 
plenty  of  money  to  help  him."  But  when 
Troy  was  taken  by  the  Greeks  this  wicked 
king  murdered  the  poor  boy,  and  kept  the 
gold  for  himself.  When  iEneas  found  this 
out,  he  said  to  himself,  *'A  country  where 
such  wicked  things  are  done  is  no  home 
for  us,"  and  he  set  sail  again. 

The  next  place  which  he  came  to  was 
an  island  called  Delos.  Once,  it  was  said, 
it  had  been  a  floating  island,  but  then  it 
was  fixed  and  firm,  and  it  was  the  place 
where  Apollo  and  his  sister  dwelt,  who  were 
the  same,  as  men  believed  in  those  days,  as 
the  sun  and  the  moon.  Here  there  was  a 
very  famous  temple  of  Apollo,  and  the  priest 

59 


.ENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

of  the  temple  was  also  the  king  of  the  island. 
Now  Apollo  had  always  been  a  friend  to 
Troy,  and  when  the  priest  knew  who  the 
strangers  were  that  had  come  to  the  island, 
he  went  to  meet  them,  and  gave  them  a 
kind  welcome,  and  took  ^Eneas  into  his  own 
palace.  Then  ^Eneas  thought  to  himself: 
'*I  will  ask  the  god  to  tell  where  I  should 
go."  So  he  went  to  the  temple,  and  made 
an  offering  according  to  custom,  and  said: 
**0  Apollo,  hear  me,  for  thou  wert  always 
a  friend  to  Troy.  Give,  I  pray  thee,  a  place 
where  we,  who  alone  are  left,  may  rest,  a 
land  of  our  own,  and  a  kingdom  that  shall 
endure  for  ever.  Tell  us  whither  we  should 
go,  whom  we  should  follow,  and  what  we 
may  look  for.  And  speak  plainly,  I  beseech 
thee,  so  that  I  may  understand."  Scarcely 
had  he  ended  these  words,  when  there  was 
heard  a  loud  rumbling  sound,  and  the  temples, 
and  the  laurel  grove  which  stood  about  it, 
and  the  very  hills  around,  were  shaken.  After 
this  there  came  from  out  the  middle  of  the 
temple  a  clear  voice,  speaking  these  words: 
''Sons  of  Troy,  go  boldly  forth;  seek  the 
land    where    your    fathers,    who    lived    in    the 

60 


OF   THE   VOYAGE   OF   iENEAS 

old  time  were  born;  the  country  which  first 
sent  you  out  shall  welcome  you  again;  then 
the  house  of  JEntas  shall  grow  and  prosper 
till  it  shall  reign  over  the  whole  world." 

Great  was  the  joy  with  which  ^Eneas  and 
his  followers  heard  these  words.  But  then 
they  began  to  think  to  themselves:  **What 
is  the  land  of  our  fathers  ?  what  is  its  name  ? 
where  is  it?''  nor  could  any  one  answer 
these  questions  till  old  Anchises,  after  much 
turning  of  the  matter  over  in  his  mind,  said: 
"My  children,  be  not  troubled  or  doubtful 
any  more.  I  know  the  meaning  of  what  the 
god  has  told  us.  There  is  a  famous  island 
in  the  southern  part  of  this  sea  where  now 
we  are,  and  its  name  is  Crete.  This  is  the 
place  where  great  Jupiter  himself  was  born, 
and  it  is  sacred  to  him.  Far  and  wide  it 
reaches;  there  are  a  hundred  cities  in  it; 
and  there  is  a  Mount  Ida,  even  as  there  is 
in  our  own  land  of  Troy.  It  is  from  this 
island  of  Crete  that  our  fathers  came  in  old 
time.  One  Teucer  was  their  chief;  he  came 
to  the  land  which  we  have  just  left,  and 
dwelt  in  it  in  the  old  days  before  Troy  was 
built.     Let  us   set   sail  without   delay,   having 

6i 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS 

first  made  such  offerings  as  it  is  meet  to  make. 
If  the  winds  be  favourable,  we  shall  come 
to  Crete  on  the  third  morning  from  now." 
So  they  made  the  offerings;  one  bull  to 
Neptune,  god  of  the  sea;  another  to  Apollo; 
a  white  sheep  to  the  gentle  winds,  and  a 
black  one  to  the  stormy.  They  knew,  too, 
that  the  King  of  Crete,  who  was  one  of 
those  that  had  come  to  fight  against  Troy, 
had  been  banished;  and  they  were  glad  to 
think  that  they  should  not  find  an  enemy 
in  the  country. 

When  these  things  were  done,  iEneas  and 
his  men  set  out.  They  set  their  sails,  and 
rowed  with  their  oars,  and  the  sailors  shouted 
*' Crete!"  '*  Crete!"  so  glad  were  they  to 
think  that  they  were  about  to  find  a  home. 
In  due  time  they  came  to  the  island.  And 
here  again  ^neas,  being  quite  sure  that  he 
had  found  the  right  place,  began  to  make 
plans  for  a  city.  In  Thrace  he  had  called  it 
iEnos  after  himself;  but  this  was  to  be  Per- 
gamos,  for  this  had  been  the  name  of  the 
citadel  in  old  Troy.  But  after  a  time  every- 
thing seemed  to  go  wrong.  The  air  seemed 
to    be    poisoned,    and    the    winds    that    blew 

62 


OF   THE  VOYAGE    OF   ^NEAS 

seemed  to  parch  the  grass  and  to  blast  the 
corn.  The  cattle  were  destroyed  by  plague, 
and  some  of  the  people  died,  while  nearly 
all  suffered  from  fever  and  agues.  All  this 
greatly  grieved  iEneas,  and  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  go  to  Delos  and  ask  Apollo  whether 
he  had  made  any  mistake  and  whither  he  really 
ought  to  go. 

That  very  night,  when  all  were  asleep,  he 
only  being  awake,  for  he  was  in  too  great 
trouble  to  sleep,  he  saw  before  him  in  the 
light  of  the  moon,  which  was  shining  through 
the  window  of  his  room,  the  household  gods 
which  he  had  carried  away  from  Troy. 
Quite  plainly  did  he  see  them,  and  he  heard 
them  say  these  words:  "What  you  are  going 
to  Delos  to  ask,  Apollo  bids  us  tell  you  here. 
We  are  the  gods  whom  you  saved  out  of  the 
ruins  of  burning  Troy;  we  are  your  com- 
panions; we  share  your  fate,  we  will  bring 
you  to  the  country  which  is  meant  for  you, 
and  from  which  your  children's  children  will 
rule  the  world.  Do  not  grow  weary  of 
wandering.  You  must  look  for  another  home, 
for  Crete  is  not  the  place  in  which  Apollo 
told  you  to  dwell.     There  is  a  country  called 

63 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

Hesperia,  the  land  of  the  West;  it  is  an 
ancient  land;  its  people  are  strong  and  brave. 
That  is  our  proper  home;  it  was  from  this 
that  our  first  father  came.  Tell  this  then  to 
the  old  man,  your  father,  that  Apollo  bids 
you  go  to  Hesperia  which  men  also  call  Italy. 
As  for  Crete,  it  is  not  meant  for  you." 

iEneas  lay  in  his  bed  and  Hstened  in  a  great 
fear,  for  he  saw  the  gods  quite  plainly  and  not 
at  all  as  if  he  were  dreaming.  Then  he  got 
up  from  his  bed,  prayed  and  offered  sacrifice, 
and  afterwards  went  and  told  his  father  what 
he  had  seen  and  heard.  The  old  man  said: 
*'I  was  wrong  when  I  said  that  Crete  was 
the  place  from  which  our  fathers  came.  And 
now  I  remember  that  in  the  days  when  Troy 
still  stood  Cassandra  used  to  speak  about  Hes- 
peria and  Italy.  But  who  would  have  thought 
that  we  who  dwelt  in  Asia  should  ever  go  to 
the  land  of  the  West?  And  no  one  at  that 
time  believed  the  things  which  Cassandra 
spoke.  But  now  let  us  obey  the  commands 
of  Apollo  and  depart." 

So  the  Trojans  put  all  that  they  had  on 
board  their  ships  and  departed.  As  soon  as 
they  were  out  of  sight  of  land  a  great  storm 

64 


OF    THE   VOYAGE    OF   .ENEAS 

arose.  The  wind  blew  fiercely,  and  the  waters 
were  like  mountains,  and  there  was  much 
thunder  and  lightning.  For  three  days  they 
did  not  see  the  sun,  and  for  three  nights  they 
did  not  see  the  stars,  nor  did  they  know  where 
they  were.  On  the  fourth  day  they  came  in 
sight  of  land,  with  hills,  and  smoke  rising  as 
it  might  be  from  the  houses  of  men.  So  the 
sailors  rowed  with  all  their  might  and  soon 
brought  the  ships  to  land. 

They  found  that  it  was  a  pleasant  island, 
with  fields  in  which  there  were  herds  of  oxen 
and  flocks  of  goats  feeding;  but  they  could 
not  see  any  one  who  was  looking  after  them. 
By  this  time  the  Trojans  were  very  tired  and 
hungry;  so  they  took  some  of  the  oxen  and 
of  the  goats,  and  killed  them,  and  cooked 
their  flesh.  Also  they  fetched  wine  from 
their  ships,  and  sat  down,  and  began  to  eat 
and  drink.  But  they  did  not  know  what  the 
place  to  which  they  had  come  really  was  or 
what  kind  of  creatures  lived  there.  These  crea- 
tures were  called  Harpies,  a  name  which  means 
**Snatchers."  These  were  wicked  women  who 
had  been  changed  into  a  horrible  kind  of  birds. 
They  were  like  vultures  which  feed  on  dead 
B  65 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS 

bodies,  and  they  had  the  wings  of  birds,  and 
claws  instead  of  hands;  they  had  the  faces 
of  women,  but  with  a  look  on  them  as  if  they 
were  starving.  Suddenly,  then,  the  Trojans, 
while  eating  and  drinking,  heard  a  great  noise 
of  wings,  and  in  a  moment  the  Harpies  had 
come  down,  and  snatched  the  flesh  which  the 
men  were  eating,  and  carried  it  off;  and  what 
they  did  not  carry  off  they  made  so  dirty  that 
no  one  could  bear  to  have  it  near  him.  Then 
the  Trojans  went  to  another  place,  which  was 
close  to  a  rock,  and  so  sheltered  in  a  way. 
There  they  made  another  dinner  ready;  but 
scarcely  had  they  begun  to  eat,  when  the 
Harpies  came  down  again  —  whether  from  the 
same  place  as  before  or  from  another  no  one 
knew  —  and  snatched  away  the  meat  again, 
and  spoilt  what  was  left.  Then  the  Trojans 
went  to  a  third  spot,  and  prepared  their  food; 
only  this  time  they  hid  their  swords  and 
spears  in  the  grass  by  their  sides.  When  they 
saw  the  Harpies  come  again,  they  jumped  up 
and  laid  hold  of  the  swords  and  spears  and 
tried  to  kill  the  creatures.  But  it  was  of  no 
use;  their  skin  was  too  hard  to  be  wounded; 
the    steel    could    not    be    driven    through    the 

66 


OF   THE   VOYAGE    OF   ^NEAS 

feathers.  Still,  though  they  could  not  be 
killed,  they  were  driven  away,  and  flew  to  their 
holes  among  the  clifl^s.  Only  one  remained ; 
this  settled  on  a  rock  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
men,  and  said  these  words  in  a  man's  voice: 

** Listen;  was  it  not  enough  that  you  should 
kill  our  cattle  ?  Will  you  drive  us  away  from 
our  own  island  ?  Hear  my  words,  for  these 
are  the  words  of  fate.  This  is  what  the  gods, 
Jupiter  and  Apollo,  whom  you  think  to  be 
your  friends,  decree.  You  will  come  at  last 
to  the  land  of  Italy;  that  is  settled.  But 
know  that  before  you  build  the  walls  of  your 
new  city  you  will  be  so  hungry  that  you  will 
be  driven  to  eat  the  very  tables  on  which  you 
set  your  meat.'' 

When  the  dreadful  creature  had  said  these 
words,  she  flew  away.  Then  the  old  man 
Anchises  lifted  up  his  hands  to  the  skies,  and 
prayed  that  these  things  might  not  come 
upon  them  or  might  be  turned  to  their  good. 


67 


CHAPTER   V 
OF  THE  VOYAGE   OF   ^NEAS    (continued) 


CHAPTER  V 

OF  THE    VOYAGE    OF    ^NEAS    {continued) 

That  very  day  iEneas  and  his  people  sailed 
away  from  the  land  of  the  Harpies.  They 
passed  by  many  islands  of  the  Greeks,  Ithaca 
among  them,  which  was  the  country  of 
Ulysses.  *'A  bad  place,"  they  said,  as  they 
passed,  "and  the  home  of  a  bad  man."  Not 
far  from  here  they  spent  the  winter,  and  then, 
turning  to  the  west,  they  came  to  a  country 
that  was  called  Epirus.  And  here  ^neas 
heard  from  some  one  who  lived  in  those  parts 
a  marvellous  thing,  namely,  that  there  was 
not  far  away  a  city  which  had  a  Trojan  king, 
and  that  this  king  was  a  son  of  Priam,  and 
hat  his  wife  was  Andromache,  whose  first 
husband  was  the  brave  Hector.  Then  iEneas 
said  to  himself:  "I  will  go  and  see  whether 
this  strange  tale  that  they  tell  me  is  true." 
So  he  went  his  way  to  the  city,  and  when 
he  came  near  it,  he  saw  a  river,  and  asked 
some  one  that  passed  by,  "What  is  the  name 

71 


JENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

of  this  river?"  And  the  man  said,  ''This  is 
the  Simois."  Now  there  is  a  river  Simois 
that  runs  through  the  plain  of  Troy.  A  Httle 
further  on  he  saw  a  grove,  and  in  the  grove  an 
altar,  and  by  the  altar  stood  Andromache.  She 
was  making  offerings  to  the  spirit  of  Hector, 
and  wept  much  as  she  made  them.  When  she 
saw  iEneas,  and  knew  his  arms,  for  they  were 
what  the  Trojans  used  to  wear,  she  was  very 
much  afraid,  and  fainted.  When  she  came 
to  herself,  she  said:  "Is  this  that  I  see 
real,  or  is  it  a  dream  ?  Is  it  iEneas  whom 
I  see  ?  Are  you  alive  ?  And,  if  you  are  dead, 
where  is  my  Hector?"  ^Eneas  said:  ''Yes, 
lady,  I  am  alive;  this  is  flesh  and  blood  that 
you  see,  not  a  ghost.  And  you  ?  what  has 
happened  to  you  ?  are  you  still  the  wife  of 
Pyrrhus?" 

Andromache  answered:  "Truly  there  was 
but  one  among  the  daughters  and  the 
daughters-in-law  of  Priam  that  was  happy! 
she  whom  the  Greeks  slew  at  the  tomb  of 
Achilles.  As  for  me,  who  once  had  Hector 
for  my  husband,  I  was  carried  across  the  sea 
as  a  slave  is  carried.  A  slave  I  was,  though 
they    called    me   a   wife.     And   when    Pyrrhus 

72 


OF   THE   VOYAGE   OF   ^NEAS 

wished  to  marry  the  daughter  of  Helen,  then 
he  gave  me  to  Helenus,  as  one  slave  is  given  to 
another.  But  Pyrrhus  was  slain  by  Orestes, 
who  loved  the  daughter  of  Helen.  And 
when  he  was  dead,  his  kingdom  was  divided, 
and  part  of  it  came  to  Helenus,  this  country 
where  we  now  are.  He  has  built  a  town  and 
called  it  Pergamos,  and  the  river  he  has  called 
Simois.  But  tell  me,  how  came  you  here? 
was  it  by  chance,  or  did  a  storm  drive  you  out 
of  your  course  ?  or  did  the  gods  send  you  ? 
And  your  boy  Ascanius,  is  he  alive  and  well? 
Is  he  strong  and  brave  ?  He  should  be  such, 
if  he  has  iEneas  for  his  father,  and  Hector  for 
his  uncle." 

While  these  two  were  talking  Helenus 
came  from  the  city  and  a  great  train  of  people 
with  him,  and  bade  ^Eneas  and  his  company 
welcome.  And  he  showed  him  all  the  place, 
and  how  everything  had  been  made  as  like  to 
Troy  as  might  be.  Only  at  Troy  all  things 
were  large,  and  here  all  things  were  small. 
Afterwards  Helenus  made  a  great  feast  in  his 
palace,  and  they  ate  and  drank  and  were  merry. 

After  a  few  days  had  passed,  ^Eneas,  seeing 
that  the  wind  was  favourable  for  his  journey, 

73 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

said  to  Helenus:  '*It  is  time  for  us  to  go. 
Tell  me  now,  for  you  are  a  wise  man,  and 
know  what  is  going  to  happen,  shall  we 
prosper?  It  is  the  gods  who  bid  us  take 
this  journey,  and  all  things  seem  to  promise 
well.  But  it  has  been  prophesied  to  us  that 
we  shall  have  to  bear  dreadful  hunger.  Tell 
me  then  what  I  should  do,  and  what  I  should 
avoid,  and  for  what  I  should  prepare." 

Then  said  Helenus  to  ^Eneas:  ''Let  us 
come  to  the  temple  of  Apollo.  There,  I  hope, 
the  god  will  put  into  my  mouth  the  answer 
to  the  questions  which  you  ask." 
^  So  they  went  to  the  temple  of  Apollo. 
And  when  they  had  offered  sacrifice  and 
prayed,  the  spirit  of  the  god  came  into  the 
heart  of  Helenus,  and  he  prophesied:  "Son 
of  Venus,  be  sure  that  it  is  according  to  the 
will  of  the  gods  that  you  are  making  this 
journey.  Listen  then  to  me,  and  learn  what 
you  must  do  that  you  may  come  safely  to 
the  land  where  you  would  be,  even  to  Italy. 
Some  things  I  do  not  know,  and  some  that 
I  know  I  may  not  speak,  for  Juno  forbids, 
but  what  I  may  say  is  this:  First  know 
that   you    have    yet    a    long   way    to    go,    and 

74 


OF   THE   VOYAGE    OF   ^NEAS 

many  seas  to  cross.  *^It  is  true  that  Italy  is 
not  far  from  us  even  here;  but  it  is  not  in 
these  parts  that  you  will  find  your  home. 
Those  evil  men,  the  Greeks,  are  here,  and 
you  cannot  find  a  dwelling-place  among  them. 
And  this  shall  be  a  sign  to  you  that  you 
have  come  to  the  right  place.  You  will  find 
a  white  sow  with  thirty  little  pigs  about  her. 
As  to  the  eating  of  your  tables  which  the 
Harpy  prophesied,  be  not  troubled;  Apollo 
will  help  you.  Sail,  therefore,  southward 
from,  this  place,  and  pass  by  the  shore  which 
you  will  see  on  your  right  hand,  though  it 
is  the  shore  of  Italy.  And  when  you  have 
passed  it  to  the  very  end,  you  will  come  to 
the  island  of  Sicily.  There  you  will  see  a 
narrow  strait  which  divides  the  two;  in 
old  time  they  were  one,  but  now  the  sea 
flows  between  them.  Venture  not  into  this 
strait;  it  is  a  terrible  place.  On  the  right 
hand  is  Scylla  in  her  cave,  and  on  the  left 
hand  is  the  whirlpool  of  Charybdis.  Scylla 
is  a  dreadful  creature.  In  part  of  her  she 
is  like  a  fair  woman,  and  in  part  she  is  like 
a  monster  of  the  sea,  and  she  has  six  heads 
like    to    a    wolf's    head.     Go,    therefore,    all 

IS 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

round  the  island  of  Sicily.  It  is  a  long 
journey,  but  it  is  safe.  And  when  you  come 
to  the  other  shore  of  Italy,  that  which  lies 
to  the  setting  of  the  sun,  then  sail  northward. 
And  remember  at  all  times,  and  in  all  places, 
to  do  honour  to  Juno,  that  so  you  may  win 
her  favour.  And  you  will  come  to  a  place 
called  Cumae;  there  dwells  a  wise  woman 
whose  name  is  the  Sibyl.  Apollo  speaks  by  her 
mouth,  even  as  he  speaks  by  mine.  Inquire 
of  her,  and  she  will  tell  you  all  that  you 
should  know,  what  wars  you  must  wage,  and 
what  dangers  you  must  endure,  and  what  you 
may  avoid.  These  things  I  may  not  speak, 
but  you  shall  hear  them  from  her.  And  now 
depart  in  peace;  and  wherever  you  go,  re- 
member that  you  are  a  son  of  Troy,  and  make 
the  Trojan  name  to  be  great  under  heaven." 

Then  the  prophet  told  his  people  to  bring 
gifts  for  his  departing  friends,  gold,  and  carvings 
of  ivory,  and  caldrons,  and  a  coat  of  chain  mail, 
and  a  helmet  with  a  plume,  which  Pyrrhus 
himself  had  worn.  Horses  also  he  gave,  and 
tackling  for  the  ships,  and  arms  for  the  men. 
Also  he  gave  iEneas  guides  who  knew  the 
way.     And  he  bade  them  all  a  kind  farewell, 

76 


OF   THE   VOYAGE    OF   ^NEAS 

especially  the  old  man  Anchises,  as  one  whom 
he  should  not  see  again.  Andromache  also 
came,  bringing  a  Phrygian  cloak  for  Ascanius, 
and  other  fine  things  for  him  to  wear.  And 
she  said  to  the  boy:  ''Take  these  things  to 
show  that  she  who  was  once  Hector's  wife 
loves  you  well.  Yes,  for  you  are  the  very 
image  of  my  own  dear  boy,  whom  they  killed 
so  cruelly.  Your  eyes  and  face  and  hands  are 
like  his,  and  indeed,  if  he  were  alive,  he  would 
be  of  the  same  age  as  you."  Then  ^Eneas 
bade  them  farewell:  ** Happy  you,"  he  said, 
''whose  wanderings  are  finished,  who  have 
found  your  rest.  You  have  no  seas  to  cross; 
you  have  not  to  seek  this  land  of  Italy,  which 
seems  to  fly  before  us,  as  we  follow  it.  You 
have  another  Troy  here  before  your  eyes. 
Farewell,  and  know  that  if  ever  I  come  to 
this  land  of  Italy,  there  shall  be  friendship  be- 
tween  you  and  me,  and  between  your  children 
and  my  children  for  ever." 

After  this  they  sailed  away.  And  when  it 
was  night,  they  drew  their  ships  to  land,  and 
slept  upon  the  shore,  but  at  midnight  the 
chief  pilot,  whose  name  was  Palinurus,  roused 
himself  and  looked  up  at  the  sky,  and  took  a 

77 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

note  of  the  weather.  And  when  he  saw  that 
the  stars  were  bright,  the  Great  Bear  and  the 
Little  Bear,  and  Orion,  with  his  beh  of  gold, 
he  thought  to  himself:  *' These  are  signs  of 
fair  weather;  we  will  not  lose  the  time."  So 
he  blew  the  trumpet  which  was  a  signal  for 
starting.  And  all  the  men  awoke  and  launched 
their  ships.  Through  the  darkness  they  rowed, 
and  when  the  morning  was  growing  red  in 
the  east,  they  looked,  and  behold !  there  was 
a  land  with  hills  to  be  seen  far  away,  and  a 
shore  lying  low.  Then  the  old  man  Anchises 
cried,  ''This  is  the  land  of  Italy."  And  he 
filled  a  great  golden  cup  with  wine,  and  stand- 
ing on  the  stern  poured  it  out,  saying:  ''Gods 
of  the  sea  and  of  the  land,  give  us  fair  winds 
and  an  easy  journey." 

But  when  they  came  so  near  that  they  could 
see  what  there  was  on  the  shore,  the  old  man 
looked  again,  and  saw  four  white  horses,  and 
he  said:  "What  the  prophet  said  was  true. 
This  is  a  land  of  enemies;  for  a  horse  is  a 
sign  of  war;  still,  because  horses  may  be 
trained  to  obey  and  to  bear  the  bit,  we  will 
hope  that  after  war  there  will  be  peace." 

Then  the  Trojans  trimmed  their   sails,  and 

78 


OF   THE    VOYAGE    OF   ^NEAS 

bore  to  the  right,  that  is  westward,  lest  some 
enemy  should  set  upon  them,  for  they  knew 
that  there  were  Greeks  in  the  land.  After  a 
while  they  came  to  the  place  of  which  Helenus 
had  told  them.  And  when  Anchises  heard 
the  roaring  of  the  sea  and  saw  how  the  waves 
seemed  to  rise  up  to  the  very  sky,  he  said: 
"Here  is  Scylla,  and  here  is  Charybdis. 
Row,  my  comrade^,  low  with  all  your  might.'' 
This  they  did,  and  Palinurus,  the  pilot,  being 
in  the  foremost  ship,  steered  to  the  left,  and 
all  the  other  ships  followed  him.  And  the 
sailors  rowed  as  hard  as  they  could,  and  at  last, 
as  the  sun  was  setting,  they  came  to  a  quiet 
harbour,  well  sheltered  from  the  sea.  Into 
this  they  brought  their  ships,  and  would  have 
rested  during  the  night.  But  Mount  ^Etna 
was  close  by,  and  from  it  there  came,  without 
ceasing,  thunders,  and  clouds  of  smoke,  and 
showers  of  stones,  and  a  great  flood  of  melted 
rocks.  The  story  is  that  a  great  giant  lies 
under  the  mountain.  He  rebelled  against 
Jupiter,  and  Jupiter  laid  him  under  the  moun- 
tain as  a  punishment.  And  when  he  is  tired 
of  lying  on  one  side,  they  say,  he  turns  to 
the    other,    and    the    whole    land    is    shaken. 

79 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

But  the  Trojans  knew  nothing  of  the  matter, 
and  they  lay  trembling  all  the  night. 

In  the  morning  they  saw  some  one  coming 
to  them  out  of  the  wood  which  was  close 
by.  He  was  a  most  miserable  creature  to 
look  at;  his  clothes  were  nothing  but  rags, 
fastened  together  with  thorns,  and  he  seemed 
to  be  half  dying  of  hunger.  They  knew, 
when  they  saw  him,  that  he  was  a  Greek, 
and  he  knew  them  to  be  Trojans.  For  a 
little  time  he  stood,  as  if  he  would  have 
run  away;  but  then  ran  as  fast  as  he  could, 
and  threw  himself  on  his  knees,  crying  out: 
"Men  of  Troy,  I  pray  you  by  the  stars  and 
by  the  gods,  and  by  the  air  which  you 
breathe,  take  me  away  from  this  dreadful 
place.  Take  me  whither  you  choose;  or, 
if  you  will,  drown  me  in  the  sea.  I  con- 
fess that  I  am  a  Greek;  I  confess  that  I 
fought  against  Troy.  If  I  must  die,  let  me 
at  least  die  by  the  hands  of  men." 

And  he  caught  hold  of  ^Eneas  by  the 
knees.  And  ^neas  said:  **Who  are  you? 
how  come  you  to  be  in  this  plight?" 

The  man  answered:  "I  am  a  man  of 
Ithaca,  and  I  went  to  the  war  against  Troy 

80 


OF   THE   VOYAGE   OF   JENEAS 

with  Ulysses.  And  as  we  were  going  home, 
we  came  to  this  land.  And  Ulysses  wished 
to  see  who  dwelt  here.  So  he  took  twelve 
of  his  men,  of  whom  I  was  one.  We  came 
to  a  great  cave  and  found  that  it  was  the 
home  of  a  shepherd.  And  Ulysses  said:  *It 
is  a  rich  shepherd  that  lives  here;  let  us 
stay  till  he  comes;  maybe  he  will  give  us 
something.'  But  when  he  came,  lo!  he 
was  a  dreadful,  man-eating  giant.  He  shut 
us  up  in  the  cave,  and  devoured  two  of  us 
that  night,  and  two  the  next  morning,  and 
two  again  for  his  supper.  But  after  his 
supper  Ulysses  gave  him  wine  to  drink,  and 
made  him  tipsy ;  and  put  out  his  eye  — 
he  had  one  only  in  the  middle  of  his  fore- 
head —  as  he  lay  asleep.  The  next  day  the 
others  escaped,  but  I  was  left.  And  now  I 
say,  fly  as  soon  as  you  can  from  this  place; 
for  this  monster,  indeed,  may  not  harm  you, 
for  he  is  blind,  but  there  are  a  hundred 
others,  as  big  as  he  and  as  cruel,  who  live 
in  this  land.  Flee,  therefore,  I  say,  and 
either  kill  me  or  take  me  with  you."  While 
he  was  speaking  the  Cyclops,  that  is  to  say. 
Round  Eye,  came  in  sight,  with  his  flocks 
F  8i 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

following  him.  He  was  a  horrible  creature 
to  behold,  very  big  and  shapeless  and  bhnd. 
He  came  down  to  the  sea,  and  waded  out, 
and  though  he  went  many  yards  from  the 
shore,  yet  the  waves  did  not  come  up  to  his 
middle,  and  he  washed  the  place  where  his 
eye  had  been,  grinding  his  teeth  the  while. 
Then  the  Trojans,  taking  the  Greek  on  board, 
pushed  off  from  the  land,  and  the  monster 
heard  the  sound  of  their  rowing,  and  shouted 
aloud  to  his  fellows.  They  hurried  down  to 
the  shore,  and  the  Trojans  saw  them  stand, 
tall  as  a  grove  of  oaks  or  cypresses.  Then, 
by  favour  of  the  gods,  a  north  wind  blew 
and  carried  them  away,  and  they  sailed  on 
till  they  came  to  the  southernmost  part  of 
the  island,  and  after  that  to  a  place  which 
men  call  Drepanum,  that  is  to  say,  the  reaping 
hook,  for  the  harbour  is  of  the  shape  of 
such  a  hook.  There  the  old  man  Anchises 
died    and    was    buried. 


82 


CHAPTER    VI 
THE   SHIPWRECK 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE    SHIPWRECK 


Not  many  days  after  the  burial  of  Anchises 
JEneas  and  his  companions  set  sail.  Now 
the  goddess  Juno  hated  the  Trojans  for  many 
reasons,  the  chief  of  which  was  this.  There 
was  a  certain  city  which  she  greatly  loved, 
Carthage  by  name.  It  was  just  then  being 
built  by  Queen  Dido,  and  Juno  hoped,  if 
it  might  be  possible,  to  make  it  the  iSrst 
city  in  the  world.  But  she  had  been  told 
that  this  could  not  be  done,  that  the  first 
city  in  the  world  would  be  one  that  the 
Trojans  would  build  in  Italy.  And  now  she 
saw  these  very  Trojans  sailing  from  Sicily 
to  this  same  land  of  Italy.  They  had 
wandered,  as  we  have  seen,  for  several  years, 
and  now  they  were  about  to  find  a  home. 
She  was  very  angry  to  see  this,  and  said 
to  herself:  ''Am  I  then  to  be  disappointed? 
Shall  I  not  be  able  to  keep  these  Trojans 
from     settling    in     Italy?     Minerva     burnt    a 

85 


^NEID   FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

whole  fleet  of  Greeks,  and  drowned  the  men, 
because  she  was  angry  with  one  of  them, 
even  Ajax.  She  took  Jupiter's  own  thunder- 
bohs,  and  broke  the  ships  with  them.  As 
for  Ajax,  she  caught  him  up  in  a  whirl- 
wind, and  dashed  him  upon  the  sharp  point 
of  a  rock,  so  that  he  was  pierced  through. 
She  could  do  this,  and  I,  though  I  am 
Jupiter's  own  wife  and  sister,  can  do  nothing 
against  these  Trojans!  Who  will  honour  me? 
Who  will  offer  sacrifices  to  me,  if  I  can 
do  nothing?" 

Then  she  went  to  a  certain  rocky  island 
where  iEolus,  the  king  of  the  winds,  lived. 
He  had  a  great  prison  there  in  which  he 
kept  the  winds  under  bolt  and  bar.  This 
he  had  been  set  to  do  by  Jupiter  because 
if  they  were  not  so  kept  in  they  would 
blow  away  heaven  and  earth  in  their  rage. 
Juno  said  to  him:  "King  .$^olus,  Jupiter 
has  given  you  the  kingdom  of  the  winds 
that  you  may  do  with  them  as  you  will. 
A  nation  which  I  hate  is  sailing  across  the 
sea  from  Sicily  to  Italy.  Loose  the  winds 
upon  them,  and  drown  their  ships  in  the 
sea.     And    now    hear    what    I    will    give  you 

86 


THE    SHIPWRECK 

if  you  will  do  this.  I  have  twelve  beautiful 
nymphs  that  wait  on  me;  the  most  beautiful 
of  them  you  shall  have  for  your  wife." 

King  iEolus  said:  *'0  mighty  Juno,  it 
is  for  you  to  speak  and  for  me  to  obey. 
It  is  of  your  kindness  that  I  am  king  of 
the  winds,  and  that  I  am  allowed  to  sit  at 
the  table  of  the  gods."  As  he  spoke  he 
struck  the  great  gates  of  the  prison  with 
his  spear,  and  broke  them  in.  In  a  moment 
the  winds  rushed  out,  and  swept  across  the 
sea,  making  great  waves  before  them.  It 
was  not  long  before  they  reached  the  Trojans' 
ships,  for  the  island  of  tEoIus  was  near  to 
where  they  were  sailing.  In  a  moment  the 
sky  was  hidden,  and  the  day  became  as  dark 
as  the  night,  and  there  were  lightnings  and 
thunders  all  about. 

When  iEneas  saw  all  this  he  grew  cold 
with  fear.  He  was  not  afraid  of  spears  and 
swords  in  the  battle,  but  it  was  a  wretched 
thing,  he  thought,  to  be  drowned.  **0  happy 
they,"  he  cried,  stretching  out  his  hands, 
**who  fell  under  the  walls  of  Troy,  before 
their  fathers'  eyes !  O  Diomed,  bravest  of  the 
great,  I  would  that  you  had  slain  me,  even  as 

87 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

Hector  was  slain  by  the  spear  of  Achilles,  and 
many  a  brave  Trojan  with  him,  whose  bodies 
the  river  Simois  rolled  down  to  the  sea ! " 

While  he  was  speaking,  a  great  gust  of  wind 
struck  the  sails  of  his  ship  from  behind,  and 
turned  it  broadside  to  the  waves.  Three  other 
ships  were  tossed  on  to  certain  rocks  which 
are  in  those  parts.  Men  call  them  altars  be- 
cause they  are  flat,  and  sometimes  they  are 
covered  with  the  waves,  and  sometimes  they 
show  above  them.  Three  ships  were  tossed 
upon  quicksands  which  were  in  those  parts, 
and  others  were  sadly  shattered  by  the  waves. 
And  one  was  sunk  outright.  This  was  the 
one  in  which  the  Lycians  with  their  chief 
Orontes  sailed.  The  Lycians  were  friends  of 
the  Trojans,  and  had  come  a  long  way  to  help 
them,  and  were  now  going  with  them  in  their 
wanderings.  iEneas  was  very  sorry  to  see  the 
broken  planks,  and  the  precious  things  floating 
about,  and  a  few  men  swimming  in  the  waves, 
for  most  of  them  were  drowned. 

It  was  not  long  before  Neptune,  the  ruler 
of  the  sea,  heard  the  noise  of  the  winds  and 
waves,  where  he  sat  in  his  palace  at  the  bottom 
of   the    sea.     He    lifted    his    head    above    the 

88 


THE    SHIPWRECK 

waves,  and  saw  how  the  ships  were  scattered, 
and  he  knew  that  his  sister  Juno  had  done 
this  because  she  hated  the  Trojans.  He 
called  with  a  loud  voice,  which  could  be 
heard  even  above  the  storm,  and  said: 
*'What  is  this  that  you  are  doing,  O  winds? 
Why   are   you   troubling   Heaven   without    my 

leave  ?     I   will but   I   had   best   make   the 

sea  calm  again;  only  be  sure  that  if  you  do 
this  again  you  will  be  punished.  Go  and 
tell  your  king  that  it  is  I  who  am  the  king 
of  the  sea,  not  he;  let  him  keep  to  his  rocks 
and  make  the  winds  obey  him." 

Then  he  commanded  the  waves  to  be  still; 
also  he  scattered  the  clouds,  and  he  brought 
back  the  sun.  At  his  bidding  other  gods  of 
the  sea  came  to  help.  They  lifted  the  ships 
off  the  rocks,  and  drew  them  out  of  the  quick- 
sands. And  when  this  had  been  done  he  com- 
manded that  his  chariot  should  be  brought, 
and  he  rode  in  it  across  the  sea,  and  as  he 
went  a  great  calm  fell  upon  it.  It  was  just  as 
happens  when  there  is  a  riot  in  a  city,  and  the 
people  are  furious,  and  throw  stones  and  burn- 
ing torches  about,  till  suddenly  there  comes 
among  them  some  one  whom  they  all  honour; 

89 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS 

a  good  man  and  true.    When  he  speaks  they 
all  listen  to  him,  and  the  riot  ceases. 

Then  ^Eneas  and  his  companions  made  for 
the  nearest  shore.  And  this  was  the  land  of 
Africa,  for  they  had  been  driven  far  out  of 
their  course.  There  they  found  a  harbour 
running  far  into  the  land,  so  far  that  the 
water  is  quite  calm  within;  on  either  side 
were  high  cliffs,  and  woods  upon  them.  At  the 
far  end  of  the  harbour  was  a  cave,  and  a  spring 
of  sweet  water.  To  this  place  ^Eneas  came, 
with  seven  ships,  all  the  rest  being  scattered 
about.  Right  glad  were  they  to  stand  again 
on  dry  land.  And  one  of  them  struck  a  spark 
out  of  a  flint,  and  they  lighted  a  fire  with 
leaves  and  dry  branches.  They  took  also  some 
of  the  wheat  which  they  had  with  them 
in  the  ships,  and  parched  it  by  the  fire,  and 
ground  it,  making  it  fit  to  eat.  While  they 
were  doing  this,  iEneas  climbed  a  hill  which 
was  close  by,  thinking  that  he  might  see  some 
of  the  other  ships.  These  he  could  not  see, 
but  he  saw  below  him  three  great  stags,  and  a 
herd  of  deer  following  them.  Then  he  took 
the  bow  and  the  arrows  which  his  companion, 
Achates   by   name,  was   carrying,   and   let  fly. 

90 


THE    SHIPWRECK 

He  killed  the  three  great  stags,  and  four  out 
of  the  herd,  making  seven,  one  for  each  ship. 
These  the  men  fetched.  Also  they  took  wine 
out  of  the  ships;  for  King  Acestes,  who  had 
entertained  them  in  Sicily,  had  given  them  a 
good  store  of  wine  to  take  with  them.  So 
they  made  ready  to  feast.  Some  of  the  deer's 
flesh  they  broiled  on  spits,  and  some  they 
boiled  in  water.  And  they  drank  of  the  wine, 
and  were  not  a  little  comforted.  And  after 
supper  they  talked  of  their  friends  who  were 
absent,  wondering  whether  they  were  alive  or 
dead. 


91 


CHAPTER  VII 
CARTHAGE 


CHAPTER   VII 


CARTHAGE 


The  next  day  ^Eneas  set  forth  to  see  what 
the  land  to  which  they  had  come  might  be. 
First  he  hid  the  ships  in  a  bay  which  was 
well  covered  with  trees,  and  then  he  went,  and 
Achates  with  him.  In  each  hand  he  carried 
a  spear  with  a  broad  point.  As  he  went  his 
mother  Venus  met  him.  She  had  taken  the 
shape  of  a  girl,  wearing  the  dress  of  a  Spartan 
huntress.  On  her  shoulders  she  carried  a  bow, 
and  her  hair  was  loose,  and  her  tunic  was  short 
to  the  knees,  and  her  upper  garment  fastened 
with  a  knot.     The  false  huntress  said  to  them : 

"Stranger,  tell  me  whether  you  have  seen 
one  of  my  sisters  hereabouts.  She  has  a  bow 
and  a  quiver,  and  has  the  skin  of  a  spotted 
lynx   round   her." 

iEneas  answered:  "O  lady,  I  have  not  seen 
such  an  one  as  you  speak  of!  Lady,  I  call  you, 
but  you  seem  to  be  more  than  mortal  woman, 
such  is  your  look  and  such  your  voice.     Surely 

95 


^NEID   FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

you  must  be  a  goddess,  perhaps  the  sister  of 
Phoebus,  or  one  of  the  nymphs  who  wait  upon 
her.  Whoever  you  are,  look  kindly  on  us,  and 
help  us.  Tell  us  now  what  is  this  land  to 
which  the  winds  have  driven  us,  for  we  know 
not  what  it  is,  or  who  dwell  in  it." 

Venus  said:  ''I  am  no  goddess  as  you 
think,  stranger.  It  is  the  custom  for  us  girls 
of  Tyre  to  carry  a  bow  and  a  quiver,  and 
to  wear  the  dress  of  a  huntress.  For  it  is 
a  Tyrian  city  to  which  I  belong  though  the 
country  is  Africa.  Our  queen  is  ^ido,  and 
she  came  to  this  land  from  Tyre,  flying  from 
the  wicked  king,  who  was  brother  to  her  hus- 
band. This  husband  was  a  certain  Sichaeus, 
who  was  the  richest  of  the  Tyrians,  and  there 
was  great  love  between  him  and  his  wife. 
But  the  king  of  the  country  was  very  greedy 
after  gold,  and  he  made  a  quarrel  with  his 
brother  Sichaeus,  and  took  him  unaware,  even 
when  he  was  doing  sacrifice  at  the  altar, 
and  killed  him.  For  a  long  time  the  king 
hid  the  matter  from  Dido,  saying  that  he 
had  sent  her  husband  on  some  great  business 
from  which  he  would  get  much  honour,  and 
that  he  would  soon  come  again.     But  at  last 

96 


CARTHAGE 

she  saw  in  her  dreams  the  Hkeness  of  her 
husband,  and  he  showed  her  his  wounds,  and 
told  her  how  he  had  been  killed.  Then  he 
bade  her  fly  from  the  land  as  quickly  as  she 
could,  and  he  told  her  of  a  place  where  much 
treasure,  silver  and  gold  and  precious  stones, 
was  hidden  in  the  earth.  So  Dido  made 
everything  ready  for  flight,  and  when  she 
looked  for  companions,  she  found  many;  for 
not  a  few  hated  the  king,  and  not  a  few  feared 
him.  So  they  laid  hold  of  certain  ships  that 
were  ready  —  and  there  were  many  ships  at 
Tyre  —  and  laded  them  with  gold,  and  fled 
across  the  sea.  And  all  this  was  done  by 
the  leading  of  a  woman,  even  Dido.  So 
they  came  to  this  place,  where  they  are 
building  the  citv  of  Carthage.  So  much  land 
did  Queen  Dido  buy  from  the  king  of  the 
country  as  could  be  enclosed  with  a  bull's 
hide.  Only  know  that  they  cut  the  bull's 
hide  into  many  strips,  so  that  they  could 
enclose  a  large  space  with  it.  And  now  tell 
me;  whence  do  you  come,  and  whither  are 
you  going?" 

iEneas    answered:     "O    lady,    if    I    should 
tell   all   my   story,    night   would    fall   before    I 

97 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

could  come  to  an  end.  We  are  men  of  Troy; 
we  have  wandered  over  many  seas  for  now 
seven  years,  and  have  been  driven  by  a  storm 
on  to  this  land  of  Africa.  As  for  me,  men 
call  me  ^Eneas.  My  race  is  of  Jupiter  him- 
self, and  the  land  which  I  seek  is  Italy. 
With  twenty  ships  did  I  set  sail  from  the 
island  of  Sicily,  going  on  the  way  on  which 
the  gods  sent  me.  Twenty  ships  I  had,  and 
now  I  have  but  seven;  Europe  and  Asia 
have  cast  me  out,  and  now  I  am  wandering 
over  the  desert  plains  of  Africa."  Venus 
answered  him:  ''Do  not  think,  stranger, 
whoever  you  are,  that  the  gods  are  against 
you;  they  are  your  friends  if  they  have 
brought  you  to  this  city  of  Carthage.  Go 
on,  therefore,  and  show  yourself  to  Queen 
Dido.  As  for  your  ships  and  your  com- 
panions, do  not  be  afraid,  for  they  are  safe. 
Look  up  now  into  the  sky.  Do  you  not 
see  those  twenty  swans,  flying  happily  in 
the  air?  See  now  an  eagle  swoops  down 
upon  them,  and  they  are  scattered.  You 
look  again;  they  are  in  order  once  more, 
and  now  they  are  coming  down  to  the  earth, 
and    some    are    settling    on    the    ground,    and 

98 


CARTHAGE 

some    are    about    to    settle.     So    shall    it   be 
with  your  ships." 

When  the  false  huntress  had  said  this,  she 
turned  away,  and  there  seemed  to  shine  a 
rosy  light  from  her  neck  as  she  turned,  and 
there  was  a  sweet  smell,  as  of  some  heavenly 
perfume,  and  the  tunic  that  was  short  to 
the  knee  seemed  to  grow  to  her  feet.  Then 
iEneas  perceived  that  she  was  indeed  his 
mother,  and  he  cried:  "O  my  mother,  why 
do  you  mock  me  again  and  again  with  these 
false  shows?  Why  do  you  not  let  me  put 
my  hand  in  yours  and  speak  with  you  face 
to  face  ? "  Then  he  went  on  towards  the 
city,  and  Achates  with  him.  But  no  one 
could  see  them,  for  Venus  covered  them 
with  a  mist  lest  any  should  stop  them  to 
inquire  their  business  or  hinder  them  in 
any  way.  So  the  two  hastened  on,  and  they 
came  to  a  hill  which  overlooked  the  city, 
and  they  saw  how  great  and  fine  it  was, 
with  high  gates  and  broad  streets,  and  a  great 
multitude  of  men  and  women  walking  to 
and  fro.  Some  were  building  the  walls  and 
the  citadel,  and  others  marked  out  the  places 
where     houses     should    be    built.     Also    they 

99 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

were  choosing  judges  and  magistrates.  And 
some  digged  harbours,  for  Carthage  was  to 
be,  as  Tyre,  a  city  of  many  ships,  and  others 
laid  the  foundations  of  a  theatre,  and  cut 
out  columns  from  the  rock  to  make  it  fine 
to  look  at.  They  were  like  bees  in  the  early 
summer.  The  young  swarms  go  out  from 
the  hive,  and  they  labour,  filling  the  cells 
with  honey,  and  some  take  the  loads  from 
those  that  come  back,  and  others  keep  oflf 
the  drones.  When  iEneas  saw  them,  he 
cried:  *' Happy  men  who  have  found  a  city 
to  dwell  in!" 

Now  there  was  in  the  very  middle  of  the 
city  a  thick  wood  of  trees.  Here,  when 
Dido  and  her  people  had  first  come  to  the 
place,  there  had  been  digged  out  of  the 
ground  a  horse's  head;  and  when  they  saw 
it,  they  were  very  glad,  for  it  had  been  told 
them  that  this  should  be  a  sign  to  them  of 
good  things,  namely  that  their  city  should 
be  great  in  war,  and  should  have  great  riches. 
Here  Dido  was  building  a  great  temple  to 
Juno.  Very  splendid  it  was,  with  door-posts 
and  gates  of  bronze,  and  a  great  flight  of 
steps   leading  to   it.     Into   this  temple  iEneas 

100 


CARTHAGE 

and  Achates  entered,  and  he  saw  upon  the 
walls  pictures  of  the  battles  which  the 
Trojans  and  Greeks  had  fought  at  Troy. 
Then  iEneas  said  to  his  companion:  "Is 
there  any  land  which  is  not  filled  with  oui; 
troubles?  Yet  it  is  good  to  know  that  these 
are  not  barbarians,  that  they  have  praise  to 
give  to  courage,  and  tears  for  the  sorrows  of 
men.  Fear  not,  my  friend.  It  will  be  good 
for  us  that  these  people  know  what  we  have 
done  and  suffered. "  Then  he  turned  to  look 
at  the  paintings  which  were  upon  the  walls, 
and  was  well  pleased  to  see  them.  In  one 
he  saw  how  the  Trojans  were  driving  the 
Greeks  before  them,  and  in  another  how  they 
were  flying  from  Achilles.  Also  he  saw  the 
white  tents  of  Rhesus,  King  of  Thrace,  who 
came  to  help  the  Trojans,  and  was  slain  by 
Diomed,  and  his  horses  driven  to  the  camp 
of  the  Greeks,  before  they  had  eaten  the  grass 
of  the  Trojan  plains  or  drunk  of  their  streams. 
For  it  had  been  prophesied  that  if  they  should 
do  this  but  once,  Troy  never  should  be  taken. 
Also  they  saw  how  Troilus  had  met  Achilles 
in  battle,  and  had  been  conquered  by  him, 
for,  indeed,  he  was  no  match  for  him.     There 

lOI 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

he  lay  dead  in  his  chariot,  his  hand  holding 
still  the  reins,  but  his  head  and  shoulders  were 
dragged  upon  the  earth,  and  the  point  of  his 
spear  made  '  a  trail  in  the  dust.  In  another 
place  the  Trojan  women  went  as  suppliants 
to  the  temple  of  Minerva,  taking  a  most 
beautiful  robe  for  an  offering;  they  stood 
before  the  goddess,  beating  their  breasts,  but 
the  goddess  turned  away  her  head.  Also  he 
saw  Achilles  dragging  the  body  of  Hector 
round  the  walls  of  Troy.  In  another  place 
he  was  selling  the  body  for  gold.  iEneas 
groaned  to  see  the  man  whom  he  had  loved, 
and  old  Priam  the  king,  whom  he  had  him- 
self beheld  slain  by  Pyrrhus.  And  he  saw, 
moreover,  himself  fighting  in  the  midst  of  the 
Greek  chiefs ;  also  black  Memnon,  son  of  the 
morning,  who  had  come  from  the  eastern  land 
to  help  the  Trojans,  bringing  a  great  host 
with  him,  and  the  Queen  of  the  Amazons, 
and  her  warrior  women  with  her,  all  of  them 
carrying  shields  shaped  like  the  moon.  She 
was  very  fierce  to  look  at ;  one  of  her  breasts 
was  bare,  and  she  had  a  girdle  of  gold  about 
her.  She  was  but  a  girl,  yet  she  dared  to 
fight  with  men. 

102 


CHAPTER  Vin 
DIDO 


CHAPTER   VIII 


DIDO 


While  iEneas  was  looking  at  these  pictures, 
Queen  Dido  herself  came,  with  a  great  crowd 
of  youths  following  her.  She  was  the  most 
beautiful  of  women.  Not  Diana  herself  could 
be  more  fair  to  look  at  when  she  dances 
with  the  nymphs,  by  head  and  shoulders 
taller  than  them  all.  When  Dido  came  to 
the  gate  of  the  temple,  she  sat  down  upon 
a  throne  to  do  such  things  as  are  the  work 
of  a  queen,  to  do  justice  between  man  and 
man,  and  to  give  to  each  his  portion  of 
work. 

In  a  short  time  there  was  heard  a  loud 
shouting  and  the  noise  of  a  crowd  of  men, 
and  iEneas  perceived  that  a  great  company 
was  coming  to  the  temple,  and  when  they 
came  nearer,  he  saw  that  they  were  his 
friends  from  whom  he  had  been  parted  by 
the  storm.  Right  glad  was  he  to  see  them, 
for  he  had   feared  very  much  that  they  had 

105 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

been  lost.  But  they  were  all  there,  all,  that 
is,  except  Orontes  the  Lycian  and  his  crew. 
iEneas  much  wished  to  come  forth  and  take 
them  by  the  hand,  and  greet  them,  but  he 
thought  it  better  to  stay  where  he  was  till 
he  should  hear  their  story,  and  see  how 
the  queen  would  behave  to  them. 

Then  the  chief  man  among  them,  having 
had  leave  given  him  to  speak,  said:  "O 
queen,  we  beseech  you  to  receive  us  kindly, 
not  to  hurt  our  ships,  and  to  let  us  dwell 
in  peace  till  we  can  go  away.  Jupiter  has 
had  pity  on  you  and  allowed  you  to  build 
a  city;  do  you  have  pity  on  us.  We  are 
not  come  to  this  land  to  lay  it  waste,  or 
to  carry  its  spoils  to  our  ships.  There  are 
men  who  do  such  things,  but  we  are  not 
of  their  kind.  No;  we  have  ourselves 
suffered  too  much.  Our  own  city  has  been 
destroyed,  and  we  are  on  our  way  to  build 
another  in  the  land  of  Italy.  But  as  we 
were  sailing  across  the  sea  a  great  storm 
sprang  up,  and  scattered  our  ships,  and  those 
whom  you  now  see  before  you  are  all  that 
are  left.  There  is  no  nation  so  savage  but 
that   it   is   kind   to   shipwrecked   men.     Or  if 

1 06 


DIDO 

there  are  some  who  are  so  wicked  as  to 
harm  them,  them  the  gods  do  not  forget  to 
punish.  We  had  a  king,  ^Eneas  by  name; 
never  was  any  one  who  better  did  his  duty 
to  God  and  man,  or  who  was  a  greater 
warrior.  If  he  be  yet  ahve,  then  we  fear 
nothing.  You  will  be  glad  to  help  such  a 
man  as  he  is.  But  if  he  is  dead,  then  we 
have  other  friends,  as  King  Acestes  of  Sicily. 
Give  us  leave  therefore  to  lay  up  our  ships 
in  a  safe  place,  to  fit  them  with  new  timber 
from  the  woods,  and  to  make  new  oars 
instead  of  those  that  have  been  broken  by 
the  storm.  If  our  king  and  his  companions 
are  yet  alive,  then  we  will  find  them,  and 
will  travel  with  them  to  the  land  of  Italy. 
But  if  he  is  dead  and  his  son  Ascanius  also, 
then  we  go  back  to  Sicily  where  there  is  a 
dwelling  ready  for  us." 

Dido  said:  '*Be  of  good  cheer,  men  of 
Troy.  If  we  seemed  to  be  unfriendly,  it  was 
because,  being  here  in  a  strange  land,  we 
have  to  keep  watch  over  our  coasts.  But 
now  that  we  know  who  you  are,  we  bid 
you  welcome.  Who,  indeed,  has  not  heard 
of   Troy,    and    its    valiant    sons?     Think    not 

107 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

that  we  here  in  Carthage  are  so  dull  or  so 
far  away  from  the  world  that  we  do  not 
know  these  things.  Be  sure,  therefore,  that 
whatever  you  are  minded  to  do,  whether 
to  go  to  Italy,  or  to  return  to  Sicily,  we 
will  give  you  all  the  help  that  you  want. 
Or  if  you  will  settle  here  and  dwell  with 
us,  be  it  so,  I  will  make  no  difference  between 
man  of  Troy  and  man  of  Tyre.  Would  that 
your  king  were  here  also!  I  will  send  men 
to  seek  him  through  all  the  land  of  Africa." 

Achates  said  to  iEneas:  "Do  you  hear 
this?  Our  comrades  are  all  safe;  only  they 
whom  we  saw  drowned  before  our  eyes  are 
absent.     Let  us  go  forth." 

While  he  was  speaking,  the  cloud  that 
was  round  them  rolled  away,  and  showed 
the  two  men  to  all  the  company.  As  for 
iEneas,  his  mother  made  him  more  beautiful 
to  look  at  than  he  had  ever  been  in  all  his 
life  before.  He  stood  before  the  queen  and 
said:  *'0  queen,  I  am  the  man  whom  you 
are  seeking,  ^Eneas  of  Troy,  escaped  from 
the  waters  of  the  sea.  May  the  gods  reward 
you  for  your  kindness,  because  you  have  felt 
pity  for  all  the  great  troubles  of  Troy,   and 

1 08 


DIDO 

because  you  are  willing  to  give  us,  poor 
strangers  as  we  are,  a  share  in  your  city. 
So  long  as  the  rivers  run  to  the  sea,  and 
the  shadows  fall  among  the  hills,  so  long  will 
your  name  be  famous.  I  truly,  whether  I 
come  to  the  land  of  Italy  or  not,  shall  never 
forget  it."  And  he  shook  the  hands  of  his 
friends,  telling  them  how  glad  he  was  to  be 
with  them  again. 

After  a  while  Dido  spoke:  "What  ill 
fortune  has  brought  you  into  such  troubles  ? 
How  is  it  that  you  have  been  driven  to  these 
savage  coasts?  I  remember  well  how  in  the 
old  days  one  Teucer  came  to  Sidon.  He 
had  been  banished  from  his  own  country,  and 
he  sought  help  from  Belus,  my  grandfather. 
Much  did  he  tell  us  about  Troy  and  its 
chiefs.  He  praised  them  much,  and  said  that 
he  was  of  the  same  race  in  the  beginning. 
Come,  therefore,  to  my  palace,  and  I  will 
give  you  all  that  you  want.  I  too  have 
suffered  much,  and  have  wandered  far.  I 
have  known  many  sorrows  myself,  and  I  have 
learnt  to  help  them  that  are  in  trouble." 

Thus  the  queen  and  all  her  company  and 
iEneas  and  the  Trojans  went  to  the  palace. 

109 


iENEID   FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

There  a  great  feast  was  prepared;  twenty 
oxen  and  a  hundred  swine  and  a  hundred 
sheep  were  made  ready.  And  the  seats  for 
the  guests  were  covered  with  purple,  and  the 
great  cups  of  gold  and  silver  were  brought 
forth  from  the  places  where  they  were  kept, 
and  the  tables  were  adorned  with  all  kinds 
of  jewels  and  precious  things. 

While  these  things  were  being  done  ^neas 
sent  Achates  to  the  ships  to  fetch  the  boy 
Ascanius,  and  to  bring  with  him  some  gifts  for 
the  queen.  There  was  a  mantle,  stiff  with 
gold  embroidery,  which  had  belonged  to  the 
fair  Helen.  She  had  had  it  from  Leda  her 
mother.  Also  there  was  a  sceptre  which  the 
eldest  of  the  daughters  of  King  Priam  had  been 
wont  to  carry,  and  a  necklace  of  pearls,  and  a 
crown  which  had  one  circle  of  gold  and 
another  circle  of  precious  stones. 

Then  they  sat  down  to  the  feast;  and  when 
they  had  eaten  enough,  Dido  called  for  a 
great  cup  from  which  her  grandfather  Belus 
and  all  the  kings  before  him  had  been  wont 
to  drink,  and  bade  them  fill  it  to  the  brim. 
Then  she  said:  "O  Jupiter,  who  art  the  god  of 
hosts  and  guests,  make  this  day  a  day  of  joy 

no 


DIDO 

for  the  men  of  Troy  and  the  men  of  Tyre, 
and  grant  that  their  children  may  remember 
it  for  ever/'  When  she  had  said  this,  she 
touched  it  with  her  Hps,  and  handed  it  to 
Prince  Bitias.  He  drank  from  it  a  mighty 
draught,  and  all  the  princes  of  Tyre  and  the 
Trojan  chiefs  did  the  same.  After  this  a 
minstrel  sang  a  great  song  about  the  making 
of  men  and  beasts  and  of  the  stars  and  of  the 
order  of  day  and  night  and  of  the  year.  Also 
the  queen  asked  many  questions  about  Priam 
and  Troy.  At  last  she  turned  to  iEneas  and 
said:  "Tell  us  now  about  the  taking  of  Troy, 
and  about  the  places  which  you  have  seen  in 
your  wanderings."  iEneas  answered:  *'It  is 
a  sad  story,  O  queen,  and  the  time  is  late. 
Nevertheless,  if  you  will  have  it  so,  I  will 
tell  the  story."  So  he  told  his  story  to  the 
company. 

After  this  iEneas  and  the  Trojans  stopped 
for  many  days  in  Carthage.  Queen  Dido 
loved  him,  and  she  made  him  her  guest,  and 
he  lived  in  such  ease  and  pleasure  that  he 
almost  forgot  all  about  the  land  of  Italy,  and 
the  city  which  he  was  to  build  there. 

But  this  did  not  please  Jupiter.  He  said, 
III 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

therefore,  to  Mercury  his  messenger:  "Go 
now  and  speak  to  JEneas  these  words:  'Thus 
speaks  the  king  of  gods  and  men.  Is  this 
what  your  mother  wished  when  she  saved  you 
twice  from  the  spear  of  the  Greeks?  Are 
you  the  man  who  is  to  build  a  city  in  Italy; 
a  city  which  shall  rule  the  world  ?  If  you 
forget  these  things,  think  of  your  son.  Why 
do  you  take  from  him  the  kingdom  that 
is  to  be  his  ?  What  are  you  doing  here  ? 
Why  are  you  not  looking  to  Italy?  Depart 
at  once.'" 

So  Mercury  put  his  sandals  on  his  feet,  the 
sandals  which  have  wings  wherewith  to  fly, 
and  he  took  his  wand  in  his  hand,  and 
flew  down  from  heaven.  First  he  came  to 
Mount  Atlas,  which  is  in  the  land  of  Africa. 
And  from  the  top  of  Atlas  he  shot  down, 
as  a  hawk  shoots  down  after  a  bird,  and  came 
to  iEneas  where  he  stood  in  the  middle  of  the 
city  of  Carthage.  He  had  a  cloak  of  purple, 
embroidered  with  gold,  round  his  shoulders, 
and  a  great  sword  in  his  hand.  Mercury 
gave  him  the  message  of  Jupiter,  and  when 
he  had  finished  it,  he  vanished. 

For  a  time  ^Eneas  stood,  not  knowing  what 
112 


DIDO 

to  do.  He  knew,  indeed,  that  he  was  called 
to  Italy,  that  he  might  do  the  will  of  the 
gods.  And  yet  he  feared  to  tell  the  thing 
to  the  queen.  At  last  he  called  his  chiefs 
together  and  said:  **Make  ready  the  ships, 
and  collect  the  people ;  but  do  this  as  secretly 
as  you  may,  and  say  nothing." 

When  Dido  heard  it  —  for  such  things  are 
not  easily  hidden  —  she  was  wild  with  anger 
and  love.  First  she  came  and  spoke  to  iEneas, 
telling  him  what  she  had  done  for  him  and 
his  people,  and  reproaching  him  for  his  in- 
gratitude. Also  she  tried  to  keep  him  by 
telling  him  of  the  dangers  of  the  voyage. 
"Stay  awhile,"  she  said,  "till  the  stormy 
winds  are  over,  and  you  can  sail  across  the 
seas  with  safety."  And  when  she  could  not 
persuade  him,  then  she  sent  her  sister  Anna, 
if  perhaps,  he  would  hsten  to  her. 

But  iEneas  stood  firm.  Jupiter  had  bidden 
him  go,  and  go  he  must.  So,  when  the  ships 
had  been  made  ready  for  the  voyage,  he  set 
sail,  secretly  and  by  night.  And  when  Dido 
looked  out  from  the  window  of  her  palace  in 
the  morning,  lo !  the  ships  of  the  Trojans  were 
gone.  Then  she  made  up  her  mind  that 
H  113 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

she  would  die.  She  had  prepared  a  great  pile 
of  wood.  On  this  she  laid  the  sword  of 
iEneas,  which  he  had  left  behind  him,  and  his 
cloak  and  other  things  which  had  belonged 
to  him,  and  sundry  possessions  of  her  own. 
To  this  pile  she  set  fire,  and  then  she  mounted 
to  the  top,  and  took  the  sword  of  iEneas 
in  her  hands,  and  stabbed  herself  with  it. 
So  she  died,  and  the  fire  laid  hold  of  the  wood 
and  made  a  great  burning,  which  could  be 
seen  far  off. 


114 


CHAPTER   IX 
THE   FUNERAL   GAMES    OF  ANCHISES 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE    FUNERAL   GAMES    OF   ANCHISES 

Meanwhile  the  ships  of  .(Eneas  were  sailing 
across  the  sea.  As  they  looked  back  to  the 
shore  which  they  had  left  they  saw  great 
flames  rising  up  into  the  sky.  What  this 
meant  they  did  not  know;  but  they  were 
sure  that  Dido  was  very  angry,  and  they 
feared  that  she  might  do  some  very  terrible 
thing. 

Before  long  there  were  signs  of  a  great 
storm.  And  Palinurus,  who  was  the  chief 
pilot,  seeing  how  dark  the  sky  had  grown, 
said:  "What  do  these  clouds  mean?  What 
is  Father  Neptune  going  to  do  next?"  Then 
he  turned  to  ^Eneas  and  said:  *'We  cannot 
get  to  Italy  while  the  wind  blows  from  this 
quarter;  no,  not  even  when  Jupiter  himself 
has  promised  it  to  us.  Let  us  clear  the  decks, 
and  let  the  men  put  out  their  oars  to  row, 
and  let  them  shift  the  sails.  The  harbours 
of  Sicily   are   near;   let   us   make   for   them." 

117 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

iEneas  answered:  ''You  say  well;  let  us 
shape  our  course  for  Sicily.  There  is  no 
country  which  I  would  sooner  see,  for  there 
my  dear  father  Anchises  is  buried." 

So  they  shifted  their  course,  and  let  their 
ships  run  before  the  wind,  and  came  in  a 
very  short  time  to  the  island  of  Sicily.  Now 
Acestes,  the  king  of  the  country,  was  the  son 
of  a  Trojan  woman.  He  had  before  enter- 
tained iEneas  and  his  people  very  kindly,  and 
now,  when  he  saw  their  ships  coming  towards 
the  land,  for  he  happened  to  be  standing  on  the 
top  of  a  hill,  he  was  very  glad,  and  he  made 
haste  to  meet  them.  He  came  to  the  shore, 
having  a  lion's  skin  about  his  shoulders,  and 
carrying  a  spear  in  his  hand.  He  greeted 
them  with  many  words  of  kindness,  and 
sent  a  supply  of  food  and  drink  to  the 
ships. 

The  next  day,  early  in  the  morning,  ^neas 
called  all  the  Trojans  to  an  assembly,  and  said 
to  them:  *'My  friends,  it  is  a  full  year  since 
we  buried  my  dear  father  in  this  land  of 
Sicily;  yes,  if  I  remember  right,  this  is  the 
very  day.  Let  us  keep  it  holy  therefore. 
That,   indeed,  would  I   do,  wherever  I  might 

ii8 


FUNERAL   GAMES    OF   ANCHISES 

be,  whether  saiUng  over  the  sea,  or  wandering 
among  the  lands  of  Africa,  or  even  if  I  were 
shut  up  in  some  city  of  the  Greeks.  Much 
more,  therefore,  let  us  keep  it  here,  seeing 
that  we  are  in  a  friendly  land,  and  keep  it  as 
solemnly  as  we  can.  And  let  us  make  a  vow 
to  keep  it  year  by  year  in  the  land  of  Italy, 
if  so  be  that  we  ever  come  to  it.  And  now 
King  Acestes  gives  us  oxen  for  our  feasts,  two 
oxen  for  every  ship.  Therefore  let  us  make 
merry  and  rejoice.  And  if  the  ninth  day  from 
this  be  fair,  then  we  will  have  great  games  in 
honour  of  my  dear  father.  There  shall  be 
a  contest  of  ships,  and  running  in  a  race,  and 
games  of  throwing  the  javelin,  and  of  shooting 
with  the  bow,  and  of  boxing.  And  now  make 
ready  for  the  sacrifice.'" 

First  he  put  on  his  head  a  wreath  of  myrtle, 
for  myrtle  was  the  plant  which  his  mother 
most  loved.  King  Acestes  did  the  same, 
and  so  did  the  boy  Ascanius  and  all  the 
Trojans.  Then  he  came  up  to  the  tomb  of 
his  father,  and  poured  out  on  it  two  cups  of 
wine  and  two  cups  of  pure  milk,  and  scattered 
flowers  over  it,  and  said:  ** These  gifts  to  thee, 
my  father!     The  gods  did  not  suffer  thee  to 

119 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

see  the  land  of  Italy,  but  we  will  do  thee 
honour  to-day." 

While  he  was  speaking  a  great  snake  came 
out  of  the  tomb.  Very  big  he  was,  and  all  the 
colours  of  the  rainbow  seemed  to  be  mixed  on 
his  back.  iEneas  looked,  wondering  to  see 
him;  while  he  looked,  the  snake  crept  up  to 
the  altar,  and  tasted  the  sacrifice  which  had 
been  put  upon  it,  and  the  wine  and  the  milk. 
JEntas  could  not  think  what  this  strange  thing 
might  mean.  So  he  made  fresh  offerings,  two 
sheep  and  two  pigs,  and  two  black  oxen. 
Other  Trojans  also  brought  sheep  and  oxen, 
and  sacrificed  them  on  the  tomb.  And  they 
roasted  the  flesh  with  fire  —  only  some  parts 
they  burnt  —  and  feasted  on  it. 

And  now  the  ninth  day  came,  and  the 
weather  was  fine.  There  came  great  crowds 
of  people  to  see  the  games,  for  all  that  dwelt 
in  the  island  knew  the  name  of  King  Acestes. 
Many  came  to  see  the  Trojans,  and  many  for 
the  sake  of  the  games,  desiring  to  win  the 
prizes  if  they  might.  First  the  prizes  were 
put  in  the  midst  for  all  to  see.  There  were 
crowns  of  palm,  and  swords,  and  spears,  and 
purple  garments,  and  talents  of  gold  and  silver. 

1 20 


FUNERAL   GAMES    OF    ANCHISES 

And  at  the  time  that  had  been  appointed  the 
trumpet  sounded  to  show  that  the  games  should 
begin. 

First  came  the  race  of  ships.  Four  ships 
there  were  to  try  for  the  prize.  The  four 
were  the  Sea-Horse,  of  which  Mnestheus  was 
the  captain,  the  Chimara  of  Gyas,  the  Centaur 
of  Sergestus,  and  the  Scylla  of  Cloanthus.  Far 
out  to  sea  there  was  a  rock.  The  waves  beat 
over  it  when  the  sea  was  rough;  but  on  a 
calm  day  it  could  be  seen  above  the  water, 
and  the  sea-birds  loved  to  stand  on  it  and  bask 
in  the  sun.  On  this  rock  iEneas  fastened  a 
bough  of  an  oak  tree;  the  ships  were  to  go 
round  it  and  so  home.  First  the  captains  cast 
lots  for  places.  Then  they  took  their  places, 
each  on  the  stern  of  his  ship,  wearing  purple 
cloaks  with  gold  lace  upon  them.  The  rowers 
had  each  a  garland  upon  his  head,  but  they 
were  stripped  for  rowing,  and  their  bodies 
were  anointed  with  oil.  So  they  sat  upon  the 
benches,  with  their  hands  stretched  out,  ready 
to  dip  their  oars  in  the  water  for  a  stroke. 
And  when  the  trumpet  sounded  the  rowers 
dipped  their  oars,  and  rowed  with  all  their 
might,    and   each   ship    leapt   forward.     Great 

121 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

was  the  noise  of  the  shouting,  for  the  people 
favoured  this  captain  or  that.  First  of  all 
came  Gyas  with  the  Chimcdray  and  next  to 
him  Cloanthus  with  the  Scylla.  He  had  the 
stronger  crew,  but  his  ship  was  by  much  the 
heavier  of  the  two.  After  these  two  came 
the  Sea-Horse  and  the  Centaur,  being  about 
equal,  for  now  one  was  ahead,  and  now  the 
other.  When  they  were  now  near  to  the 
rock  Gyas  cried  out  to  his  steersman:  *'Why 
do  you  go  so  much  to  the  right  ?  Keep  closer 
to  the  rock.  Let  others  choose  the  sea  if 
they  will;  I  like  the  shortest  course."  But 
the  man  was  afraid  of  rocks  that  could  not  be 
seen  beneath  the  sea,  and  still  kept  the  ship's 
head  seaward.  Gyas  cried  again:  *'Now 
make  for  the  rock!"  While  he  was  speak- 
ing the  Scylla  came  up  and  took  the  inner 
course  between  the  Chimcera  and  the  rock, 
and  passed  it,  taking  the  first  place.  Then 
Gyas  was  so  angry  that  he  wept  for  very 
rage,  and  he  took  the  steersman  by  the  waist 
and  threw  him  into  the  sea,  and  he  took  the 
rudder  himself,  and  turned  the  ship  to  the 
rock.  As  for  the  steersman,  being  old  and 
cumbered    with    his    cloak,    he    could    scarcely 

122 


FUNERAL   GAMES   OF   ANCHISES 

reach  the  rock.  And  when  the  people  saw 
him  thrown  into  the  sea,  and  they  saw  how 
he  swam  to  the  rock,  and  cUmbed  on  it  and 
sat,  spitting  out  the  sah  water,  they  laughed. 
When  the  captains  of  the  other  two  ships 
saw  what  had  happened  they  began  to  hope 
that  they  too  might  win  a  prize.  Mnestheus 
in  the  Sea-Horse  seeing  that  the  Centaur  still 
kept  in  front  of  him  ran  among  his  men  as 
they  rowed  —  there  was  a  plank  from  one  end 
of  the  ship  to  the  other  —  crying  out :  "  My 
friends,  do  your  best,  as  you  have  always  done, 
whether  in  battle  or  in  storms.  The  first  place 
I  do  not  seek,  but  I  would  not  come  back 
last."  Then  the  rowers  stretched  out  forward 
and  threw  themselves  back,  rowing  with  all 
their  might.  The  Centaur  they  soon  passed, 
for  it  was  steered  so  close  to  the  rock  that  it 
struck  on  a  piece  which  jutted  out,  and  the 
oars  were  broken  and  the  bow  stuck  fast. 
While  the  crew  were  pushing  it  off  with  poles 
and  the  like  the  Sea-Horse  got  well  ahead. 
And  next  it  passed  the  Chtmcera,  for  this  had 
lost  its  steersman,  and  the  captain  did  not 
know  how  to  keep  a  straight  course.  And 
now  only  the  Scylla  was  left,  and  the  Sea-Horse 

123 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

pressed  hard  on  it.  And  all  the  people 
shouted  out,  for  it  pleased  them  much  to 
see  that  the  ship  which  had  been  last  was 
now  likely  to  be  first.  Then  Cloanthus,  who 
was  captain  of  the  Scylla,  stretched  out  his 
hands  and  prayed  to  the  gods  of  the  sea  that 
they  would  help  him.  ''Help  me,"  he  said; 
"help  me,  and  I  will  offer  a  milk-white  bull 
and  much  pure  wine  at  your  altar."  And 
they  heard  the  prayer,  and  one  of  them  put 
out  his  hand,  and  caught  hold  of  the  keel  of 
the  ship,  and  sent  it  on,  as  quick  as  an  arrow 
flies  from  the  bow-string,  so  that  it  came  to 
the  shore  first  of  the  four.  Then  iEneas  put 
a  crown  of  bay-leaves  about  the  captain's  head, 
and  gave  to  the  rowers  three  oxen  and  jars  of 
wine  and  a  talent  of  silver.  The  other  two 
also  had  gifts.  And  when  Sergestus  came  with 
the  Centaur,  with  half  of  its  oars  broken,  just 
like  to  a  serpent  which  the  wheel  of  a  waggon 
has  maimed  in  the  road,  iEneas  gave  him  a 
reward,  for  he  had  at  least  brought  the  ship 
and  the  crew  safely  back. 

Next  came  the  foot  race.  For  this  there 
came  many,  both  Trojans  and  men  of  Sicily. 
Foremost    among    them    all    were    Nisus    and 

124 


FUNERAL   GAMES    OF   ANCHISES 

Euryalus,  between  whom  there  was  a  very 
close  friendship.  After  them  came  Diores, 
who  was  of  the  house  of  King  Priam;  after 
him  SaUus,  a  Greek,  and  two  young  hunters, 
who  were  of  the  court  of  King  Acestes,  and 
many  others.  iEneas  said:  "I  will  give  gifts 
to  all  who  run;  none  shall  go  away  empty. 
To  the  first  three  I  will  give  crowns  of  olive. 
The  first  also  shall  have  a  horse  with  its  trap- 
pings ;  the  second  a  quiver  full  of  arrows,  and 
a  belt  with  which  to  fasten  it;  the  third  must 
be  content  with  a  Greek  helmet." 

Then  all  the  men  stood  in  a  line,  and 
when  the  signal  was  given  they  started.  For 
a  short  time  they  were  all  close  together. 
Then  Nisus  outran  the  rest.  Next  to  him 
came  Salius,  but  there  was  a  long  space  be- 
tween them;  and  next  to  Salius  was  Euryalus. 
The  fourth  was  one  of  the  king's  courtiers, 
Helymus  by  name,  and  close  behind  him  the 
Trojan  Diores.  When  they  had  nearly  come 
to  the  end  of  the  course,  by  bad  luck  Nisus 
slipped  in  the  blood  of  an  ox  which  had  been 
slain  in  the  place,  and  fell.  But  as  he  lay 
on  the  ground  he  did  not  forget  his  friend 
Euryalus,     for    he    lifted    himself    from    the 

125 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

ground  just  as  Salius  came  running  in,  and 
tripped  him  up.  So  Euryalus  had  the  first  place, 
Helymus  was  second,  and  Diores  third.  But 
SaUus  loudly  complained  that  he  had  been 
cheated.  "I  had  won  the  first  prize,"  he 
cried,  "had  not  this  Nisus  tripped  me  up.'* 
But  the  people  favoured  Euryalus,  for  he  was 
a  comely  lad;  Diores  also  was  on  the  same 
side,  for  otherwise  he  had  not  won  the  third 
prize.  "Then,"  said  iEneas,  "I  will  not 
change  the  order;  let  them  take  the  prizes 
as  they  come  —  Euryalus  the  first,  Helymus 
the  second,  and  Diores  the  third.  Never- 
theless I  will  have  pity  on  the  man  who  suf- 
fered not  from  his  own  fault."  And  he  gave 
to  Salius  a  lion's  skin,  of  which  the  mane  and 
the  claws  were  covered  with  gold.  Then 
Nisus  said :  "  If  you  are  giving  prizes  to  these 
who  are  beaten,  then  think  of  me,  for  I  was 
first,  and  slipped,  having  the  same  bad  luck  of 
which  Salius  complains."  And  he  showed 
his  face  and  body  all  covered  with  filth.  And 
iEneas  laughed  and  gave  him  a  noble  shield. 
After  this  came  the  boxing  match.  The 
winner's  prize  was  an  ox  with  gilded  horns, 
the  loser  would  have  a  sword  and  a  helmet. 

126 


FUNERAL   GAMES    OF   ANCHISES 

Immediately  Dares  stood  up;  he  was  a  giant 
in  height  and  breadth.  He  was  the  only 
man  who  had  ever  dared  to  meet  Paris,  the 
strongest  boxer  in  Troy;  he  had  also  van- 
quished a  famous  champion,  Butes  by  name, 
hurting  him  so  that  he  died  of  his  wounds. 
So  mighty  a  man  did  he  seem  that  no  one 
had  the  courage  to  stand  up  against  him.  So 
Dares  came  to  ^neas  where  he  sat,  and  said: 
*'If  there  is  no  man  to  meet  me  let  me  take 
the  prize."  But  King  Acestes  said  to  his 
friend  Entellus,  who  was  sitting  next  to  him 
on  the  grass:  "Entellus,  will  you  suffer  this 
prize  to  be  taken  in  this  fashion?  Did  you 
not  learn  this  art  from  Eryx  himself?  Has 
not  your  fame  gone  through  this  land  of 
Sicily?  Is  not  your  house  full  of  prizes 
that  you  have  won?"  Entellus  answered: 
**  Think  not,  O  king,  that  I  am  afraid,  or 
that  I  do  not  care  for  honour;  but  I  am 
old,  and  I  have  lost  my  strength.  If  I  had 
been  as  young  as  that  boaster  there  I  should 
not  have  wanted  a  prize  to  make  me  go  and 
meet  this  bragging  fellow." 

Then    he    stood    up    and    threw    on    to    the 
ground    two    boxing    gloves    which    the  great 

127 


iENEID   FOR   BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

boxer  Eryx  had  used  of  old.  All  who 
saw  them  were  astonished,  so  big  were  they, 
heavy  with  bull's  hide  and  lumps  of  lead  and 
iron.  As  for  Dares,  he  said:  "I  will  not 
stand  up  against  such  as  these."  And  when 
JEncas  took  them  up,  trying  their  weight, 
Entellus  said:  "What  would  this  Trojan 
have  thought  if  he  had  seen  the  gloves 
which  Hercules  wore  when  he  fought  with 
this  same  Eryx  and  killed  him?  These  Eryx 
himself  —  he,  O  ^Eneas !  was  your  mother's 
son  —  gave  me.  See  the  marks  of  blood  and 
brains  upon  them!  These  are  of  the  men 
who  fought  with  him.  But  if  Dares  likes 
them  not,  be  it  so;  I  will  put  them  away, 
and  he  shall  put  away  his." 

Then  he  threw  off  the  cloak  which  he 
wore,  and  showed  his  shoulders  and  arms, 
how  big  and  strong  they  were. 

Then  iEneas  gave  to  each  gloves  of  equal 
weight,  and  the  two  stood  and  faced  each 
other.  Dares  was  more  nimble  and  quick, 
for  he  was  young;  Entellus,  though  a  giant 
in  height  and  breadth,  was  slow  and  scant 
of  breath.  Many  blows  they  aimed  at  each 
other,    and    sometimes    one    would    strike    the 

128 


FUNERAL   GAMES   OF   ANCHISES 

other  on  the  breast  or  the  cheek,  but  neither 
struck  home.  Entellus  stood  in  the  same 
place,  swaying  one  way  and  the  other,  with 
eyes  always  watching  his  enemy.  As  for 
Dares,  he  was  like  a  general  who  attacks 
a  city,  and  tries  first  one  part  and  then 
another,  if  he  can  find  the  weakest.  At 
last  Entellus,  thinking  that  he  could  reach 
the  other,  dealt  him  a  great  blow;  but 
Dares,  seeing  it  coming,  leapt  out  of  the 
way;  and  the  old  man  wasted  his  strength 
in  the  air,  and  fell  with  a  crash,  as  a  pine 
tree  falls  on  the  side  of  a  hill.  All  the 
men  of  Troy  and  the  men  of  Sicily  ran 
up  to  see  what  had  happened;  and  Acestes 
ran,  and  would  have  helped  the  old  man  to 
rise.  But  he  got  up  of  himself,  for  shame 
and  anger,  as  it  were,  made  him  young 
again.  Dares  fled  before  him,  and  Entellus 
followed  him  over  the  plain,  hitting  him, 
now  with  the  right  hand,  and  now  with  the 
left;  and  the  blows  were  Hke  hail  when  it 
rattles  on  a  roof.  Then  ^Eneas  cried:  "Be 
not  angry,  my  friend;"  and  to  Dares  he 
said:  **See  you  not  that  the  gods  are  against 
you  to-day?  Do  not  fight  against  the  gods." 
I  129 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

So  he  commanded  that  the  battle  should 
cease.  Dares  was  led  away  by  his  friends 
in  sad  plight,  spitting  out  blood,  yea,  and 
his  teeth,  for  they  were  broken  in  the  fight. 
And  they  took  with  them  the  shield  and 
the  helmet;  but  the  crown  of  palms  and 
the  ox  they  left  to  Entellus.  And  he  said: 
**See,  iEneas  and  you  men  of  Troy,  what 
I  could  do  when  I  was  young."  And  he 
lifted  up  his  hand,  and  struck  the  ox  between 
the  brows.  And  the  beast  fell  dead  upon 
the  ground.  And  the  old  man  said:  ''Eryx, 
take  this  offering.  I  give  you  this  ox  instead 
of  the  life  of  Dares:  and,  indeed,  it  is  the 
better  thing  of  the  two.  And  here  I  lay 
down  my  gloves  for  ever." 

Next  to  this  came  the  trial  of  shooting 
with  the  bow.  iEneas  set  up  the  mast  of 
a  ship,  and  to  the  top  of  the  mast  he  tied 
a  dove  by  a  cord.  This  was  the  mark  at 
which  all  were  to  shoot.  The  first  hit  the 
mast,  and  shook  it,  and  all  could  see  how 
the  bird  fluttered  his  wings.  Then  the  second 
shot.  He  did  not  touch  the  bird,  but  he 
cut  the  string  by  which  it  was  fastened  to 
the    mast,    and    the    bird    flew    away.     Then 

130 


FUNERAL   GAMES   OF   ANCHISES 

the  third,  a  man  of  Lycia,  aimed  at  the 
bird  itself,  and  struck  it  as  it  flew,  and  the 
dove  fell  dead  to  the  earth  with  the  arrow 
through  it.  Last  of  all.  King  Acestes  shot 
his  arrow.  And  he,  having  nothing  at  which 
to  aim,  shot  it  high  into  the  air,  to  show 
how  strong  a  bow  he  had  and  how  he  could 
draw  it.  Then  there  happened  a  strange 
thing  to  see.  The  arrow,  as  it  went  higher 
and  higher  in  the  air,  was  seen  to  catch 
fire,  and  to  leave  a  line  of  flame  behind  it, 
till  it  was  burnt  up.  When  ^neas  saw 
this,  he  said  to  himself:  **This  is  a  sign 
of  good  to  come,"  for  he  thought  how  the 
fire  had  burnt  on  the  head  of  his  son  Ascanius, 
and  how  a  star  had  shot  through  the  air  when 
he  was  about  to  fly  from  Troy.  And  as  this 
had  been  a  sign  of  good  at  the  beginning 
of  his  wanderings,  so  was  this  a  sign  of  good 
at  the  end.  Then  he  threw  his  arms  about 
King  Acestes,  saying:  '*I  thank  thee,  my 
father.  This  is  a  message  which  Jupiter  sends 
by  you."  And  he  gave  him  a  great  bowl 
of  silver  which  his  father  Anchises  had  had 
before  him.  The  other  archers  also  had  gifts 
according  to  the  skill  which  they  had  shown. 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

Last  of  all,  there  was  a  new  game  which 
none  had  seen  before.  Ascanius  and  his 
young  companions  came  riding  on  horses, 
three  companies  of  twelve  each  with  a 
leader.  They  had  crowns  on  their  heads, 
and  collars  of  gold  on  their  necks,  and  carried 
spears  in  their  hands.  They  rode  this  way 
and  that  way,  making  a  show  of  fighting. 
Sometimes  they  seemed  to  charge,  and  some- 
times to  fly.  And  all  the  people  shouted, 
so  fair  were  the  lads,  and  so  well  did  they 
ride. 


132 


I 


CHAPTER   X 

THE   BURNING   OF   THE   SHIPS— THE 
COMING   TO   ITALY 


CHAPTER  X 

THE    BURNING    OF   THE    SHIPS  — THE 
COMING   TO    ITALY 

While  the  Trojans  were  busy  with  the  games, 
Juno  was  bus}^  doing  them  a  great  mischief, 
for  she  saw  that  they  were  now  very  near 
to  the  end  of  their  wanderings,  that  is  to 
say,  the  land  of  Italy.  And  the  mischief 
was  this,  to  burn  their  ships. 

The  women  sat  by  themselves  near  the 
ships,  making  a  great  wailing  for  Anchises. 
And  as  they  looked  at  the  sea  they  thought 
to  themselves:  '*  Surely  we  have  travelled 
enough;  surely  we  have  had  enough  of  the 
sea:  would  it  not  be  far  better  that  we 
should  have  a  city  in  which  to  dwell  ? " 

Now  Juno  had  sent  down  her  messenger 
Iris  to  do  this  business  for  her.  So  when 
Iris  knew  what  the  women  were  thinking, 
she  took  the  shape  of  a  Trojan  woman, 
Beroe  by  name,  and  went  among  them  and 
said:     "Surely,     my    sisters,     it    would     have 

135 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

been  better  for  us  if  we  had  been  killed  by 
the  Greeks  when  they  took  the  city  of  Troy. 
Seven  summers  have  come  and  gone  since 
we  left  our  native  country,  and  we  are  still 
wandering  over  sea  and  land.  We  seek  this 
land  of  Italy,  but  it  seems  to  be  always 
flying  before  us,  and  we  never  see  it.  Here 
we  have  friends  and  kinsfolk.  Why  should 
we  not  build  here  a  city?  Why  should  we 
not  burn  these  accursed  ships  which  carry 
us  hither  and  thither?  Last  night  I  saw 
in  a  dream  the  prophetess  Cassandra.  She 
seemed  to  say  to  me:  'Here  is  Troy;  here 
is  the  home  for  which  you  are  seeking.' 
And  as  she  said  this,  she  put  a  torch  in  my 
hand.  See  now  the  altars  here,  and  the 
fire  upon  them."  And  she  caught  a  torch 
from  the  altar,  and  threw  it  at  the   ships. 

But  another  woman,  who  had  been  nurse 
to  the  sons  of  King  Priam,  cried  out: 
"'Women  of  Troy,  this  is  not  Beroe  who  is 
speaking  to  you.  Beroe  I  left  just  now, 
very  sick  and  much  vexed  that  she  could 
not  come  to  this  our  meeting  here.  No; 
this  is  not  Beroe.  Look  how  she  walks, 
and  what  shining  eyes  she  has."    The  women 

136 


THE    BURNING   OF   THE    SHIPS 

stood  in  doubt,  not  knowing  what  to  do. 
They  would  have  liked  to  stay  where  they 
were,  and  yet  they  knew  that  they  were 
called  to  the  land  of  Italy.  But  while  they 
doubted,  they  saw  Iris  going  up  to  heaven 
by  the  path  of  the  rainbow,  and  they  cried 
out:  "It  is  a  goddess  who  has  spoken  to 
Us!"  And  a  great  rage  came  upon  them; 
every  one  of  them  caught  up  a  torch  from 
the  altars,  and  ran  and  set  fire  to  the  ships. 
In  a  moment  the  flames  ran  over  the  benches 
and  the  oars  and  the  stems  of  pine.  Some 
one  ran  at  once  to  the  Trojans  as  they  sat 
looking  at  the  games,  and  told  them  what 
was  going  on:  they  themselves,  too,  saw  a 
great  cloud  of  smoke  coming  up  from  the 
sea.  Ascanius  heard  of  the  matter  while  he 
was  leading  his  host,  and  immediately  he 
galloped  down  to  the  shore.  When  he  got 
to  the  ships,  he  cried  out:  "What  are  you 
doing?  This  is  not  the  camp  of  the  Greeks 
that  you  are  burning.  You  are  burning  your 
own  hopes.  See,  I  am  your  own  Ascanius." 
And  he  took  his  helmet  from  his  head,  and 
stood  bareheaded  before  them.  After  him 
came  iEneas  and   the   other  Trojans,   as   fast 

137 


.ENEID    FOR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS 

as  they  could.  And  when  the  women  thought 
of  what  they  had  done,  they  were  much 
ashamed  of  their  behaviour,  and  sought  to 
hide  themselves.  But  not  the  less  did  the  fire 
burn  the  ships,  nor  could  the  Trojans,  when 
they  tried  to  put  it  out,  do  any  good.  Then 
iEneas  rent  his  garments  and  cried  out:  "O 
Jupiter,  if  thou  carest  for  us  at  all,  save  our 
ships,  lest  we  perish  altogether.  But  if  thou 
art  angry,  and  if  I  have  done  wrong,  slay  me 
with  thy  thunderbolt,  but  save  my  people." 

While  he  was  still  speaking,  a  great  storm 
came  up  from  the  south,  with  thunder  and 
lightning  and  a  great  rain.  So  the  fire  was 
put  down.  Nevertheless,  four  of  the  ships 
were  burnt  entirely. 

^neas  was  much  troubled  at  these  things, 
and  thought  in  himself  what  he  had  better 
do.  Should  he  stay  in  Sicily,  where  he  had 
friends  ?  —  for  though  the  Fates  called  him  to 
Italy,  yet  there  was  ever  something  to  hinder 
his  going.  Then  a  certain  priest,  a  wise 
man,  one  who  knew  better  than  all  others 
the  mind  of  the  gods,  said  to  him:  '* Surely 
we  must  go  to  the  place  whither  the  gods 
call    us.     That    it    is    not    lawful    to    doubt. 

138 


THE    BURNING   OF   THE    SHIPS 

Nevertheless,  you  may  think  of  something 
that  shall  help  us  in  our  present  need.  I 
would  have  you  ask  advice  from  King  Acestes, 
for  he  is  your  friend,  and  not  only  so,  but 
of  the  same  race  as  we  are.  See  now;  four 
ships  have  been  burnt,  and  there  are  too 
many  people  here  for  such  as  are  left.  And 
see  again;  some  do  not  like  the  thing  which 
you  purpose  to  do.  There  are  old  men  and 
women  who  are  weary  of  the  sea;  there  are 
some  that  are  weak;  and  there  are  some 
whose  courage  fails  them.  Let  King  Acestes, 
if  he  will,  take  these  for  himself.  Let  him 
build  a  city  for  them,  and  call  it  Acesta 
after  his  own  name.''  But  before  he  could 
do  anything  in  the  matter  the  night  came, 
and  iEneas  went  to  his  bed.  While  he  slept 
he  saw  his  father  in  a  dream.  The  old  man 
said:  "My  son,  Jupiter  has  sent  me  to  you. 
Take  the  advice  which  has  been  given  you, 
for  it  is  good.  Choose  out  the  best  and 
strongest  of  your  people  to  go  with  you, 
for  you  will  have  to  do  with  a  strong  and 
fierce  people  in  this  land  of  Italy  to  which 
you  go.  But  first  come  and  see  me  in  the 
place    where    I    dwell    below    the    earth.     The 

139 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

Sibyl,  whose  abode  is  in  Cumae,  will  show 
you  the  way ;  there  you  shall  hear  all  that 
shall  come  to  you  and  to  your  children 
after.  And  now  I  must  go,  for  the  morning 
is  coming." 

So  iEneas  took  counsel  with  the  chief  of 
the  Trojans,  and  with  King  Acestes.  And 
the  king  was  willing  to  do  the  thing  that 
JEncas  asked  of  him.  So  they  made  a  division 
of  the  people.  Those  that  were  strong  and 
brave  were  to  go  with  iEneas,  and  those  who 
were  weak  and  doubtful  and  faint-hearted 
were  to  stay.  So  ^Eneas  marked  out  the 
boundaries  of  the  city  with  a  plough,  and 
King  Acestes  set  everything  in  order. 

On  the  ninth  day,  after  much  feasting, 
iEneas  and  his  men  departed,  not  without 
many  tears  from  those  who  were  going  and 
those  who  were  left  behind.  And  when  the 
south  wind  blew  softly,  they  set  sail ;  and 
the  god  of  the  sea  gave  them  a  smooth 
passage.  So  they  came  to  the  land  of  Italy, 
to  Cumae,  the  dwelling  of  the  Sibyl.  The 
men  pushed  the  ships  on  to  the  beach,  turning 
their  foreparts  to  the  sea,  and  making  them 
fast    with    anchors    and    ropes.     While    they 

140 


THE   COMING   TO   ITALY 

were  busy  with  this,  ^Eneas  went  up  to  the 
temple.  It  was  a  wonderful  place  which 
Daedalus  himself  had  built  when  he  came 
to  Italy  from  the  island  of  Crete.  For 
Daedalus  had  made  wings  for  himself  and  for 
Icarus  his  son,  and  so  had  fled  from  Crete 
when  King  Minos  would  have  killed  him. 
He  himself  came  safe,  but  his  son,  flying 
too  high  in  the  air,  had  the  wax  melted 
from  his  wings,  and  so  fell  into  the  sea  and 
was  drowned.  And  Daedalus  had  set  forth 
all  the  story  of  the  things  that  had  happened 
in  Crete,  carving  all  the  figures  in  stone. 
Only  when  he  came  to  set  forth  the  death 
of  his  son,  his  heart  failed  him,  so  great  was 
his  grief. 

Then  the  Sibyl,  who  was  a  prophetess,  told 
iEneas  something  of  what  should  happen 
to  him  in  the  land  of  Italy.  And  when 
he  had  heard  her  prophecy,  he  said:  '*0 
Lady,  I  have  something  more  to  ask  of  you. 
My  father,  Anchises,  has  bidden  me,  not 
once  or  twice,  but  many  times,  to  go  down 
to  the  place  where  he  dwells  among  the 
dead.  Will  you,  therefore,  be  my  guide-^ 
for  you  know  the  way?" 

141 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

The  Sibyl  said:  "It  is  easy  to  go  down 
to  the  dwelhngs  of  the  dead,  but  it  is  hard 
to  come  back.  Nevertheless,  if  it  is  lawful 
for  you  to  go,  then  I  will  go  with  you.  And 
this  is  how  you  may  know  whether  it  is 
lawful.  There  is  in  the  very  middle  of  a 
wood  hard  by  a  tree  on  which  there  grows 
a  bough  of  gold.  If  you  can  find  this  bough, 
and  if,  when  you  have  found  it,  you  are  able  to 
pluck  it  from  its  place,  then  you  may  know 
that  it  is  lawful  for  you  to  go." 

So  iEneas  went  into  the  wood,  and  the 
doves  of  his  mother  went  before  him,  guiding 
him  to  the  place  where  the  golden  bough 
was  growing.  And  when  he  saw  it,  he  put 
out  his  hand,  and  plucked  it,  and  it  came  off 
at  once.  Then  he  went  back  to  the  Sibyl, 
and  the  two  went  together.  Now  the  things 
which  they  saw  are  told  elsewhere.  It  will 
be  sufficient  to  say  in  this  place,  that  ^Eneas 
found  his  father  in  the  happy  place  which 
they  called  the  Elysian  Fields.  Very  glad 
were  they  to  meet  again.  And  Anchises 
showed  his  son  a  long  line  of  his  descendants 
who  should  be  in  the  time  to  come,  iliere 
were   the   kings   of  Alba,   and    Romulus,   who 

142 


THE   COMING   TO   ITALY 

should  build  the  great  city  of  Rome,  and 
Brutus,  who  should  set  that  city  free  when 
tyrants  were  ruling  over  it,  and  wise  men 
who  should  make  laws,  and  soldiers  who 
should  win  great  victories  —  a  most  noble 
company.  "See,"  he  said,  ''your  children's 
children.  Others  shall  carve  the  face  of  men 
in  marble,  or  mould  it  in  bronze  more  skil- 
fully; others  shall  be  more  eloquent  in  speech, 
and  know  better  the  rising  and  setting  of 
the  stars.  It  is  the  work  of  your  children's 
children  to  rule  the  world." 

So  iEneas,  when  he  had  seen  and  heard 
these  things,  went  up  again  to  the  world 
above. 


H3 


CHAPTER  XI 
m  ITALY 


I 


CHAPTER  XI 

IN    ITALY 

While  iEneas  and  his  people  were  at  Cumae, 
Caieta  his  old  nurse,  who  had  gone  with  him  in 
all  his  wanderings,  died.  He  called  a  great  chff 
that  there  was  close  by  after  her  name,  and  it 
is  so  called  to  this  day.  After  this  they  set 
sail,  the  south  wind  blowing  softly  and  carry- 
ing them  on  to  the  place  which  they  sought. 
As  they  went,  they  passed  by  the  island 
where  Circe  lived  —  Circe,  who  was  said  to 
be  a  daughter  of  the  Sun,  and  who  was  a 
great  witch.  She  used  to  sit  all  day  and 
weave  on  her  loom  wonderful  work  with 
pictures  on  it,  and  as  she  sat  she  sang  with 
a  very  sweet  voice.  And  if  any  traveller  went 
in  to  see  who  it  was  that  sang  so  sweetly, 
she  would  give  him  a  cup  of  wine.  But  this 
wine  was  poisoned,  and  when  the  man  had 
drunk  it,  Circe  would  wave  a  wand  over 
his   head,    and    he    became    a    beast  —  a    lion, 

H7 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

or  a  bear,  or  a  wolf,  or,  it  may  be,  a 
pig.  The  Trojans,  as  they  sailed  by,  heard 
these  creatures  growling  or  roaring.  But 
Neptune  made  the  wind  blow  more  strongly, 
so  that  they  passed  very  quickly  by,  for  he 
was  afraid  that  they  might  come  to  some 
harm. 

After  a  little  time  they  came  to  a  place 
where  there  was  a  great  wood  along  the  shore, 
and  in  the  midst  of  the  wood  a  river,  the  name 
of  which  was  the  Tiber.  This  was  the  place 
where  it  flowed  into  the  sea.  And  they  saw 
that  the  water  of  the  river  was  very  yellow. 
It  has  always  been  called  the  "Yellow  Tiber." 
Here  they  brought  their  ships  to  land.  And 
iEneas  and  his  son  Ascanius  and  some  of  the 
princes  got  out  on  to  the  shore  and  sat  down 
under  one  of  the  trees  to  have  their  dinner. 
They  made  plates  of  dough,  and  on  these 
they  put  such  fruits  as  they  could  find.  It 
was  but  a  scanty  meal,  and  when  they  had 
eaten  all  the  fruits  they  were  still  hungry. 
Then  they  began  to  break  up  their  platters  of 
dough  and  to  eat  them.  And  the  boy  Ascanius 
said,  laughing:  "What!  do  we  even  eat  our 
tables?"     When    iEneas    heard    these    words, 

148 


IN   ITALY 

he  was  very  glad,  and  he  caught  the  boy 
in  his  arms  and  kissed  him,  saying,  "Now 
this  is  a  good  word  that  you  have  said,  my 
son!  Long  ago  that  dreadful  creature  the 
Harpy  said  that  some  day  we  should  be  so 
pressed  by  hunger  that  we  should  eat  our 
tables.  My  father  also  prophesied  that  when 
we  did  this  we  might  know  that  we  had 
indeed  come  to  the  land  where  we  were  to 
have  a  home.  And  now  this  has  come  to 
pass.  This  is  our  home,  and  as  for  the  hunger 
which  I  feared,  lo!  we  have  endured  it  and 
are  yet  alive ! "  Then  the  chiefs  told  the  story 
to  all  the  people,  and  all  rejoiced  together. 

And  now  it  must  be  told  what  this  country 
was  to  which  they  had  come.  The  name  of 
it  was  Latium,  and  the  name  of  the  king 
was  Latinus.  He  was  the  son  of  Faunus, 
who  was  the  son  of  Picus,  and  Picus  was  the 
son  of  Saturn.  The  story  that  was  told  about 
Saturn  was  this,  that  when  his  son  Jupiter 
turned  him  out  of  his  throne  in  heaven,  for 
he  had  been  king  of  gods  and  men,  he  fled 
away  to  Italy,  and  set  up  a  kingdom  there,  and 
reigned  in  great  peace  and  happiness.  Now 
King  Latinus  had  no  son,  but  only  a  daughter, 

149 


JENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

Lavinia  by  name,  who  was  now  of  an  age 
to  be  married.  Many  chiefs  of  Italy  desired 
to  have  her  for  a  wife,  but  the  one  whom  the 
queen  her  mother  liked  beyond  all  the  others 
was  a  certain  Turnus.  He  was  a  very  tall 
and  handsome  young  man,  and  a  great  soldier, 
and  was  also  the  son  of  a  king.  Nor  was 
King  Latinus  himself  unwilling  that  Turnus 
should  be  his  son-in-law,  but  the  wise  men, 
the  priests  and  the  prophets,  told  him  that 
it  must  not  be,  because  the  gods  would  not 
have  it  so.  And  one  of  the  signs  by  which 
the  prophets  knew  that  this  was  so,  was  this. 
There  was  in  the  middle  of  the  palace  a 
great  bay  tree.  It  was  growing  there  when 
the  king  built  the  palace;  and  he  made  it 
sacred  to  the  god  Apollo  and  built  an  altar 
under  its  branches.  One  day  a  swarm  of 
bees  came  flying  into  the  court  where  the 
bay  tree  was,  and  settled  on  it,  and  hung 
down  from  one  of  the  branches,  in  the  shape 
of  a  cluster,  as  is  the  way  of  bees  when 
they  swarm.  Then  the  prophets  said:  **As 
the  bees  have  come  to  your  palace,  O  king, 
so  there  shall  come  a  strange  people  from  far 
away  to  this  ^and,  and  their  king  shall  be  the 

150 


IN    ITALY 

husband  of  your  daughter."  Not  many  days 
after  this  as  Lavinia  was  standing  by  her 
father's  side,  and  Ughted  the  fire  on  the  altar, 
a  flame  leapt  from  the  altar  on  to  her  hair, 
and  burnt  the  ornaments  that  she  wore  on 
her  head,  and  spread  with  much  smoke  and 
fire  over  the  whole  palace.  But  the  girl 
herself  was  not  burnt.  The  prophets,  when 
they  knew  this,  said:  '*This  maiden  shall 
be  famous  and  great;  but  a  dreadful  w^ar 
shall  come  upon  her  people,  and  many  shall 
perish."  Then  the  king  himself,  wishing 
to  know  for  certain  what  he  ought  to  do, 
went  to  a  temple  that  was  near  to  his 
palace,  being  the  temple  of  his  father  Faunus. 
Of  this  temple  he  was  himself  the  priest. 
The  custom  was  that  if  the  priest  wished  to 
inquire  of  the  god,  he  sacrificed  sheep,  and 
lay  down  to  sleep  on  their  skins.  This  the 
king  did.  He  made  a  sacrifice  of  a  hundred 
sheep,  and  lay  down  to  sleep  upon  the  skins. 
And  lo!  before  he  fell  asleep  there  came  a 
voice  from  out  the  inner  part  of  the  temple: 
*'My  son,  seek  not  to  marry  thy  daughter 
to  a  prince  of  this  land.  There  shall  Come 
a    son-in-law    from    over    the    sea.     Give    thy 

151 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

daughter  to  him.  He  shall  make  this  land 
to  be  the  greatest  under  the  whole  heaven." 
The  king  did  not  keep  this  to  himself,  but 
told  it  to  every  one. 

It  came  to  pass,  therefore,  that  ^Eneas,  ask- 
ing questions  of  some  people  of  the  country 
whom  he  met  on  the  day  after  his  coming, 
heard  about  these  things.  So  he  said  to  him- 
self: "I  will  send  an  embassy  to  this  King 
Latinus,  and  beg  of  him  that  there  may  be 
peace  between  his  people  and  my  people. 
But  lest  by  chance  either  he  or  any  one  of 
the  princes  hereabouts  should  seek  to  do  us 
harm,  I  will  provide  a  place  of  defence." 
So  he  chose  a  hundred  men  who  should  be 
ambassadors  for  him,  and  put  crowns  of  olive 
on  their  heads,  and  sent  them  with  gifts  in 
their  hands  to  the  king.  When  these  had 
set  out,  he  marked  out  a  place  for  a  camp, 
and  he  commanded  the  people  to  work  as 
hard  as  they  could,  making  it  strong  with  a 
mound  and  a  ditch. 

The  ambassadors,  going  on  their  way  to 
the  city,  came  to  a  great  plain  where  the 
young  men  of  the  place  were  amusing  them- 
selves with  contests  and  games.     Some   raced 

152 


IN   ITALY 

against  each  other,  riding  on  horses  or  driving 
chariots.  Some  shot  with  bows  and  arrows; 
others  threw  javelins,  or  ran  races  on  foot, 
or  boxed  or  wrestled.  As  soon'  as  the  Trojans 
were  seen,  one  of  the  horsemen  rode  as  fast 
as  he  could  to  the  city,  and  told  the  king, 
saying:  **Some  men  in  strange  clothes 
have  come,  desiring  to  see  you."  Latinus 
said:  '*  Bring  them  before  me."  And  he 
put  on  his  king's  robes,  and  sat  on  his 
throne. 

A  very  noble  place  was  the  king's  palace. 
Picus  had  built  it  on  a  hill  in  the  middle 
of  the  city,  with  a  sacred  wood  all  round  it. 
It  had  a  hundred  pillars,  fifty  on  one  side 
and  fifty  on  the  other;  among  the  pillars 
were  statues  of  kings  of  old  time.  On  the 
walls  were  hung  spoils  taken  in  war,  battle- 
axes,  and  spears,  and  helmets,  and  the  beaks 
of  ships,  and  the  yokes  of  chariots.  In  this 
hall  the  kings  of  the  country  of  Latium  were 
crowned;  and  the  princes  met  in  it  to  take 
counsel  together,  and  great  feasts  were  held 
in  it. 

King  Latinus  said:  *'Men  of  Troy,  for, 
indeed,    I    know   who   you    are,    tell   me   why 

153 


^NEID    FOR   BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

you  have  come  to  this  land.  Are  you  seek- 
ing something,  or  have  you  come  by  chance? 
Have  storms  driven  you  out  of  your  course  ? 
—  for  this,  I  know,  is  a  thing  which  often 
happens  to  men  who  sail  over  the  sea.  Be 
sure  that,  whatever  be  the  cause  of  your 
coming,  you  are  welcome.  In  this  land 
we  walk  in  the  way  of  the  good  King 
Saturn,  and  do  the  thing  that  is  right, 
not  by  constraint  but  of  our  own  will. 
Know  also  that  we  are  of  the  same  blood, 
for  Dardanus,  who  was  the  first  founder 
of  Troy,  came  from  a  certain  city  in  this 
land." 

Then  the  chief  of  the  ambassadors  an- 
swered: "O  king,  we  have  not  wandered 
out  of  our  way,  nor  have  storms  driven  us 
upon  this  coast.  We  have  come  hither  on 
purpose.  I  doubt  not,  O  king,  that  you 
know  how  we  were  driven  out  of  our  own 
country.  Who,  indeed,  is  there  on  the  whole 
face  of  the  earth  who  does  not  know  what 
a  great  destroying  storm  came  out  from  the 
land  of  Greece  and  laid  the  great  city  of  Troy 
even  with  the  ground  ?  What  we  ask  of  you, 
O  king,   is  a   parcel  of  ground  on  which  we 

154 


IN   ITALY 

may  build  a  city  to  dwell  in;  also  that  we 
may  breathe  the  air  and  drink  the  water  of 
this  land.  Be  sure,  O  king,  that  we  shall  do 
no  harm  to  this  thy  country,  and  that  you 
will  not  be  sorry  for  having  received  us.  Of 
a  truth,  many  nations  have  desired  that  we 
should  join  ourselves  to  them.  But  the  gods 
laid  a  command  upon  us  that  we  should  come 
to  this  land  of  Italy.  For,  as  you  have  your- 
self said,  it  was  from  this  land  that  Dardanus, 
our  first  father,  came  forth,  and  hither,  by 
the  will  of  the  gods,  his  children's  children 
must  come  back.  So  we  heard  from  Apollo 
himself.  And  now  we  pray  you,  O  king,  to 
receive  these  gifts  which  our  lord  iEneas  sends 
by  our  hands.  This  is  the  sceptre  which 
King  Priam  was  used  to  hold  in  his  hand 
when  he  did  justice  among  his  people.  These 
garments  the  ladies  of  Troy  worked  with 
their  own  hands." 

For  a  while  the  king  sat  silent,  thinking 
over  these  things  in  his  heart.  For  he  said 
to  himself:  "Is  this  man  whom  they  call 
JEneas,  he  of  whom  my  father  Faunus  spoke  ? 
Is  he,  perchance,  the  son-in-law  who,  the 
prophets  said,  should  come  from  some  strange 

155 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

land  to  be  the  husband  of  my  daughter 
Lavinia?"  At  the  last  he  spoke,  saying: 
''May  the  gods  grant  that  there  be  peace  and 
friendship  between  us  and  you.  We  grant, 
men  of  Troy,  the  things  for  which  you  ask  — 
a  parcel  of  ground,  and  air  and  water.  We 
also  thank  your  king  for  his  gifts.  Be  sure 
that  in  this  land  there  are  such  riches  as 
shall  match  even  the  riches  of  Troy.  As 
for  your  king,  JEntas,  if  he  wishes  to  be  our 
friend,  let  him  come  and  look  upon  us,  face 
to  face.  Take  also  this  message  to  him: 
*I  have  a  daughter,  whom  the  gods  forbid 
me  to  marry  to  any  prince  of  this  land.  For 
they  say  that  there  shall  come  a  stranger 
from  over  the  sea  to  be  my  son-in-law,  and 
that  from  him  shall  come  a  race  which  shall 
raise  the  name  of  Italy  even  to  the  stars  of 
heaven.'" 

Then  Latinus  said  to  his  people:  "Bring 
forth  horses  for  these  men."  Now  there 
stood  in  the  king's  stable  three  hundred 
horses,  the  swiftest  of  their  kind:  of  these 
the  servants  brought  forth  a  hundred,  one 
for  every  Trojan.  All  of  them  had  trappings 
of     purple     and     bits     of    gold.      To    ^Eneas 

156 


IN   ITALY 

himself  the  king  sent  a  chariot  drawn  by 
two  horses,  which  were  of  the  breed  of  the 
horses  of  the  Sun.  So  the  ambassadors  went 
back  to  the  camp  with  noble  gifts  and  a 
message  of  peace. 


^57 


CHAPTER   XII 
THE    PLOTS   OF   JUNO 


CHAPTER  XII 


THE    PLOTS    OF   JUNO 


When  Juno  saw  that  the  Trojans  were  come 
to  the  land  of  Italy,  and  that  they  were 
building  houses  in  which  to  dwell,  and  that 
King  Latinus  was  showing  them  no  little 
kindness,  she  said  to  herself:  *'So  this  wicked 
race  has  vanquished  me.  The  flames  of  the 
burning  city  of  Troy  did  not  destroy  them, 
nor  did  the  sea  swallow  them  up.  And  lo! 
they  have  come  unharmed  to  the  river  Tiber, 
to  the  very  place  which  they  desired.  Yes: 
it  is  but  too  true;  I,  who  am  the  sister  and 
the  wife  of  Jupiter,  have  been  overcome  by 
this  iEneas.  Nevertheless  there  is  still  some- 
thing which  I  can  do.  The  gods  in  heaven 
will  not  help  me;  therefore  I  will  go  to  the 
powers  of  hell.  I  cannot  keep  this  fellow 
from  the  kingdom  of  Latium,  and  it  is  the 
pleasure  of  the  gods  that  he  should  have 
Lavinia  for  his  wife.  But  I  will  see  to  it 
that  he  shall  buy  this  kingdom  of  his  at  a 
L  i6i 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

great  price,  and  that  your  dowry,  O  daughter 
of  Latinus  shall  be  the  blood  of  Italy  and  of 
Troy.  Then  Juno  went  down  into  the  lower 
parts  of  the  earth,  and  called  to  her  Alecto, 
who  was  one  of  the  Furies,  who  loved  anger 
and  war  and  treachery,  and  all  evil  and  hate- 
ful things.  Even  her  own  sisters,  the  Furies, 
could  not  bear  to  look  on  her,  so  dreadful 
was  she  to  behold.  Juno  said  to  her: 
"Daughter  of  Night,  I  have  suffered  a  great 
wrong  and  disgrace,  and  I  want  you  to  help 
me.  A  man  whom  I  hate,  iEneas  by  name, 
desires  to  have  a  kingdom  in  Italy:  keep 
him  from  it.  He  wishes  to  have  Lavinia, 
the  daughter  of  King  Latinus,  to  wife:  see 
that  he  does  not.  You  can  set  brother  against 
brother;  you  can  bring  strife  into  kingdoms 
and  into  homes.  Break  this  peace  that  the 
Latins  and  the  Trojans  are  making.  Bring 
about  some  occasion  of  war." 

Alecto  first  went  to  the  palace  of  Latinus. 
There  she  found  the  queen,  Amata  by  name, 
in  great  anger  and  trouble.  She  was  much 
displeased  by  the  doings  of  the  king,  her 
husband.  She  did  not  wish  to  have  iEneas 
for  her  son-in-law,   and   she  loved   the   prince 

162 


THE    PLOTS   OF   JUNO 

Turnus  with  all  her  heart.  Then  the  Fury 
thought  to  herself:  "The  queen  hates  iEneas 
already;  I  will  turn  her  hatred  into  madness." 
So  she  took  a  snake  out  of  her  hair  and  thrust 
it  into  the  bosom  of  the  queen.  The  evil 
beast  crept  about  her  so  that  the  poison  got 
into  her  heart;  then  it  changed  itself  into 
a  collar,  as  of  twisted  gold,  round  her  neck, 
and  poisoned  her  very  breath. 

At  the  first,  before  the  evil  altogether  over- 
powered her,  she  spoke  gently  to  her  husband, 
weeping  as  a  mother  might  weep  when  she 
is  afraid  that  she  may  lose  her  daughter. 
She  said:  *'Are  you  not  afraid,  my  hus- 
band, to  give  Lavinia  to  this  exile  from 
Troy?  Have  you  no  pity  for  her  or  me  or 
yourself?  Well  I  know  that  so  soon  as 
the  north  wind  begins  to  blow,  he  will  fly 
from  this  land  and  carry  her  away  with 
him.  Do  you  not  care  for  the  promise  that 
you  made  to  Turnus  —  yes,  made  with  an 
oath  —  that  he  should  have  Lavinia  for  his 
wife?  You  say  that  she  must  marry  a 
stranger.  Is  he  not  a  stranger?  Are  not 
all  who  are  not  subjects  of  your  kingdom 
strangers?     This,   and  this  only,  is  what  the 

163 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

gods  command.  Further,  if  you  look  into 
the  matter,  you  will  see  that  he  is  a  stranger 
also  in  race,  for  he  is  of  the  family  of 
Inachus,  and  is  by  race  a  Greek." 

But  when  she  saw  that  her  husband  was 
not  moved  at  all  by  her  words,  the  madness 
altogether  overcame  her.  She  rushed  out  of 
the  palace,  and  through  the  streets  of  the 
city,  taking  her  daughter  with  her.  And, 
as  she  went,  she  called  to  the  other  women 
to  follow  her,  so  that  a  whole  multitude  went 
after  her.  Like  to  so  many  wild  creatures, 
they  ran  through  the  woods,  the  queen 
leading  them,  holding  a  burning  torch  in 
her  hand,  and  singing  the  marriage  song  of 
her  daughter  and  Turnus. 

The  next  thing  that  the  Fury  did  was 
that  she  went  to  the  city  where  Turnus  lived. 
He  was  asleep,  and  the  Fury  went  in  and 
stood  by  his  bedside.  She  had  taken  the 
shape  of  an  old  woman,  the  priestess  of  the 
Temple  of  Juno,  and  she  said:  *' Turnus, 
are  you  content  that  you  should  lose  that 
which  is  your  right,  and  that  your  kingdom 
should  be  taken  from  you  i  King  Latinus 
takes  from  you  the  wife  that  he  had  promised, 

164 


THE    PLOTS   OF   JUNO 

and  is  about  to  hand  over  his  kingdom  to 
a  stranger  from  over  the  sea.  Juno  bade 
me  come  and  tell  you  this.  Arm  your 
people;  drive  these  strangers  out  of  the 
land,  and  burn  their  ships  with  fire.  And 
if  the  king  will  not  keep  his  promise,  let 
him  learn  for  himself  that  Turnus  is  not 
one  who  will  suffer  wrong." 

So  the  old  woman  spoke,  and  Turnus 
answered  —  for  so  it  seemed  to  him  in  his 
dream  —  "  Old  woman,  I  know  that  the  ships 
of  the  strangers  have  come  to  the  Tiber.  But 
these  are  idle  tales  that  you  tell  me.  I 
know  that  Queen  Juno  cares  for  me;  there- 
fore, I  am  not  afraid.  But  you,  mother, 
are  old,  and  wander  somewhat  in  your  wits, 
and  trouble  yourself  for  nothing,  and  are 
afraid  when  there  is  nothing  to  fear.  Keep, 
I  pray  you,  to  your  own  business;  serve 
the  temples  of  the  gods,  but  leave  war  and 
the  things  of  war  to  men,  for  such  matters 
belong  to  them." 

And  then  it  seemed  to  Turnus  in  his 
dream  that  the  old  woman  grew  very  angry, 
yea,  that  she  changed  into  the  shape  of  a 
Fury,    and    that    a    thousand    snakes   hissed 

165 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

round  her.  And  when  he  tried  to  speak 
again,  the  words  would  not  come,  and  when 
he  would  have  risen  from  his  bed,  she  thrust 
him  back,  and  caught  two  snakes  from  her 
hair  and  lashed  him  with  them,  crying: 
**I  am  old,  forsooth!  and  I  wander  from 
my  wits!  and  I  am  afraid  when  I  have 
nothing  to  fear!  Nay,  but  I  am  the  greatest 
of  the  Furies,  and  war  and  death  are  in  my 
hands."  And  it  seemed  to  him,  still  in  his 
dream,  that  she  threw  a  lighted  torch  at 
him,  and  that  it  fixed  itself  in  his  heart. 
Then  he  woke  with  a  great  start.  He  did 
not  know  whether  the  things  which  he  had 
seen  and  heard  in  his  sleep  were  true  or 
not,  but  his  heart  was  full  of  anger.  He 
called  for  his  arms,  and  commanded  all  the 
young  men  to  make  themselves  ready  for 
war.  "I  will  drive  these  Trojans,"  he  cried, 
**out  of  Italy,  and  if  Latinus  and  his  people 
stand  by  them,  then  they  shall  go  also." 

And  now  there  was  one  thing  left  for 
the  Fury  to  do,  and  this  was  to  make  a 
cause  of  quarrel.  King  Latinus  had  a  man  to 
keep  his  cattle,  and  this  man's  daughter,  Silvia 
by  name,  had  a  tame  stag  which  her  brothers 

i66 


THE    PLOTS    OF   JUNO 

had  found  when  it  was  a  fawn,  and  had 
brought  to  her.  The  girl  was  very  fond 
of  the  creature,  and  would  put  garlands  of 
flowers  about  its  neck,  and  comb  its  hair, 
and  give  it  a  bath.  All  day  long  the  stag 
would  wander  about  the  woods,  and  at  night 
it  came  back  to  the  house.  Now  it  so 
happened  that  Ascanius,  with  other  Trojan 
lads,  was  hunting  that  day,  and  his  dogs 
caught  scent  of  the  stag  and  followed  it. 
And  Ascanius,  riding  after  them,  saw  the 
beast,  and  shot  an  arrow  at  it,  and  hit  it, 
for  the  Fury  took  care  that  the  arrow  should 
not  miss  its  aim.  Then  the  stag,  being 
wounded  to  death,  ran  back  to  the  herds- 
man's house,  and  filled  it  with  most  lament- 
able cries.  Silvia  heard  it,  and  was  greatly 
grieved  to  see  her  dear  pet  in  such  a  case, 
and  cried  out  for  help.  And  here  again 
the  Fury  —  for  she  was  hiding  in  the  woods 
—  did  all  she  could  to  increase  the  trouble. 
From  all  sides  the  country  folk  came  together, 
each  picking  up  for  a  weapon  anything  that 
came  to  hand.  One  had  a  brand  that  had 
been  half-burned  in  the  fire,  and  another  a 
great  stick  with   knots  in  it.     The    herdsman 

167 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

himself  carried  an  axe  in  his  hand.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Trojans  ran  together  to  help 
Ascanius,  and  soon  there  was  a  regular  battle. 
Some  were  slain  both  on  the  one  side  and 
on  the  other.  Among  them  was  Almo,  who 
was  the  eldest  son  of  the  herdsman,  and  an 
old  man  Galaesus,  who  was  killed  as  he  tried 
to  make  peace  between  the  two  parties.  He 
came  between  them  as  they  fought,  and  the 
spears  wounded  him  to  the  death.  A  good 
man  was  he,  and  rich,  for  he  had  five  flocks 
of  sheep  and  five  herds  of  cattle,  and  as 
much  land  for  wheat  and  the  like  as  could 
be  worked  by  a  hundred  ploughs. 

Then  said  Juno  to  the  Fury:  "It  is 
enough;  go  to  your  own  place.  Jupiter 
would  be  angry  if  he  saw  you  here.  The 
rest  I  will  do." 


i68 


CHAPTER   XIII 
THE   GATHERING   OF   THE   CHIEFS 


CHAPTER   XIII 

THE    GATHERING   OF   THE    CHIEFS 

When  the  battle  was  over  —  for  the  Trojans, 
being  more  used  to  war,  soon  drove  the  Latins 
back  —  the  shepherds  carried  the  two  dead 
men,  Almo  and  Galaesus,  to  the  city,  and 
cried  for  vengeance  to  the  gods  and  to  the 
king.  And  none  cried  louder  and  more 
fiercely  than  Turnus:  "Why,"  said  he,  "do 
you  put  the  Trojans  before  me?"  And  all 
the  people  said  the  same  thing,  crying  out: 
"Send  away  these  Trojans.  Let  us  have 
our  own  people  to  rule  over  us."  As  for  the 
king,  he  stood  firm,  firm  as  a  great  rock  in 
the  sea.  The  waves  break  over  it,  and  the 
sea-weed  is  dashed  against  it,  but  it  is 
not  heaved  from  its  place.  At  last  he  said: 
"O  foolish  Latins,  you  will  pay  for  this 
madness  with  your  lives;  and  no  one,  O 
Turnus,  will  suffer  worse  things  than  you; 
and  when  you  would  cry  to  the  gods  for 
help,  they  will   not  hear  you.     As   for  me,   I 

171 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

shall  soon  be  at  rest  in  the  grave.  And  if 
I  have  but  little  honour  at  my  funeral,  what 
matters  it?" 

There  was  a  custom  of  old  time  in  Latium, 
and  in  Alba  afterwards,  and  in  Rome  herself 
in  later  times,  that  when  there  is  the  begin- 
ning of  war,  they  open  the  great  gate  of  the 
Temple  of  Janus.  When  the  Fathers  have 
given  their  voice  for  war,  then  the  consul 
himself,  in  robe  and  girdle,  opens  the  gate 
with  his  own  hand,  and  the  people  follow 
him,  and  there  is  a  great  blowing  of  horns. 
But  King  Latinus,  though  the  people  bade 
him  declare  war  and  open  the  gate,  would 
have  nothing  to  do  with  it;  he  hid  himself. 
So  Juno  herself  came  down,  and  opened  the 
gate  with  her  own  hand. 

When  this  had  been  done,  men  made  ready 
for  battle  throughout  all  the  land  of  Italy. 
They  polished  their  shields,  and  sharpened 
their  spears  and  swords  and  battle-axes.  In 
five  cities  forges  were  set  up,  wherein  to 
make  new  arms  and  armour,  helmets  and 
shields,  and  breastplates  and  greaves.  Even 
their  ploughs  and  their  reaping-hooks  they 
took  and  turned   them  into  weapons  of  war. 

172 


THE   GATHERING   OF   THE   CHIEFS 

First  came  King  Mezentius,  the  Tuscan,  of 
whom  more  will  soon  be  said.  He  was  one 
who  cared  not  for  gods  or  men.  With  him 
came  Lausus  his  son;  there  was  no  fairer  or 
better  youth  in  Italy.  He  deserved  to  have 
a  better  father.  With  these  two  came  a 
thousand  men. 

Next  came  a  son  of  Hercules,  carrying  a 
shield  on  which  was  his  father's  crest,  the 
great  monster  with  a  hundred  heads,  which 
men  called  the  Hydra.  He  had  a  lion's  skin, 
with  a  mane  and  great  white  teeth  round 
his  head  and  shoulders.  He  was  followed 
by  the  Sabines,  who  were  armed  with  long 
spears  and  swords. 

After  him  came  the  twin  brothers  who 
built  the  city  of  Tibur.  They  were  Greeks, 
and  with  them  came  a  son  of  Vulcan,  and 
a  great  company  of  country  folk,  some  of 
them  carrying  slings  and  some  javelins.  These 
had  helmets  of  wolf-skin  on  their  heads. 

Next  came  Messapus,  skilled  in  taming 
horses,  the  son  of  Neptune.  His  father  had 
given  him  charms  which  made  him  safe 
against  fire  and  sword.  Many  other  chiefs 
of  great  renown  followed,  all  with  companies 

173 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

of  men.  Some  had  wicker  shields  and  some 
helmets  made  of  cork,  and  others  spears  and 
shields  of  bronze,  for  in  old  time  men  used 
bronze  and  not  iron  for  making  of  arms  and 
armour.  Their  names  need  not  be  told  in 
this  place;  only  Umbro  the  priest.  A  wise 
man  was  he,  and  one  who  could  charm  ser- 
pents and  heal  those  who  were  bitten  by 
them.  But  he  could  not  heal  the  wound 
of  the  Trojan  spear,  nor  did  all  his  charms 
keep  him  from  death. 

But  of  all  that  came  there  was  none  more 
brave,  or  strong,  or  fair  to  look  upon  than 
Turnus,  for  as  he  stood  in  the  midst  he  over- 
topped all  others  by  the  head.  He  had  a 
helmet  on  his  head,  and  on  the  helmet  three 
crests,  with  the  Chimaera,  a  creature  of  which 
half  was  a  lion  and  half  a  goat.  A  great 
multitude  of  men  followed  him. 

Last  of  all  came  Camilla,  a  wonderful  girl 
from  the  land  of  the  Volscians.  And  with 
her  came  a  great  company  of  women  warriors, 
with  armour  of  bronze,  and  riding  on  horses. 
This  Camilla  cared  not  for  the  distaff,  or  to 
spin,  or  to  do  such  things  as  women  are  used 
to  do.      She  cared   for  nothing  but  war.      A 

174 


THE   GATHERING   OF   THE   CHIEFS 

great  fighter  was  she,  and  also  a  wonderful 
runner.  She  was  swifter  than  the  winds. 
She  could  run  over  the  standing  corn,  and  not 
break  it  down;  she  could  run  across  the  sea, 
and  not  wet  her  feet.  All  the  young  men 
were  astonished  to  see  her,  and  the  women 
looked  after  her,  as  she  went.  She  had  a 
purple  mantle  round  her  shoulders,  and  a 
band  of  gold  round  her  hair;  on  her  back  she 
carried  a  quiver  of  arrows  and  a  bow,  and  in 
her  hand  she  had  a  pike  of  myrtle-wood. 


175 


CHAPTER   XIV 
KING   EVANDER 


CHAPTER   XIV 


KING    EVANDER 


When  ^neas  heard  that  the  nations  of 
Italy  were  gathering  together  against  him 
and  that  they  had  sent  an  embassy  to 
Diomed,  who  was  the  bravest  of  the  Greeks 
after  Achilles,  he  was  much  troubled.  He 
knew  that  he  and  his  Trojans  were  but 
few  against  many,  and  he  did  not  know 
where  to  look  for  help.  While  he  was 
thinking  about  these  things,  he  fell  asleep. 
In  his  dreams  the  god  of  the  river.  Father 
Tiber,  as  he  was  called,  appeared  to  him. 
He  was  an  old  man,  with  a  garment  of 
blue  linen,  and  a  crown  of  reeds  on  his 
head.  The  old  man  said  to  him  —  so  it 
seemed  to  iEneas  in  his  dream  —  ''You  are 
welcome  to  this  land,  you  and  the  gods  of 
Troy  whom  you  bring  with  you.  Do  not 
be  troubled  by  wars  and  rumours  of  wars, 
nor  give  up  the  work  which  you  have  begun. 

179 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

It  is  the  will  of  the  gods  that  this  shall 
prosper  in  the  end.  And  now  you  are  look- 
ing for  help ;  I  will  tell  you,  therefore,  where 
you  will  find  it.  Certain  men  from  the  land 
of  Arcadia  came  to  this  country  of  Italy,  with 
their  king,  Evander,  and  have  built  a  city 
which  they  call  Pallanteum.  These  men  are 
always  at  war  with  the  Latins.  Go  to  them, 
therefore,  and  make  a  treaty  with  them  that 
their  enemies  shall  be  your  enemies  and 
their  friends  your  friends.  And  the  way 
by  which  you  must  go  is  my  stream;  for 
know  that  I  am  Father  Tiber,  and  that 
of  all  the  rivers  under  the  sun  there  is 
none  that  is  dearer  to  the  gods  than  mine. 
Rise,  therefore,  and  worship  the  gods,  espe- 
cially Queen  Juno,  that  she  may  cease  to 
hate   you." 

When  i3Eneas  woke  out  of  sleep,  he  remem- 
bered that,  long  before,  the  prophet  Helenus 
had  said  to  him  that  when  he  was  in  great 
need  of  help  it  should  come  to  him  against 
all  hope  —  that  is  to  say,  from  a  city  of  the 
Greeks.  Then  he  took  enough  of  his  people 
to  fill  two  ships,  and  went  his  way.  And  those 
that  were  left  worked   as  hard  as  they  could 

i8o 


KING   EVANDER 

making  the  walls  of  the  camp  strong  and  the 
ditch  deep. 

By  noon  they  had  travelled  some  twenty 
miles,  for  Father  Tiber  had  made  their  work 
easy,  staying  his  stream  so  that  they  might 
find  it  more  easy  to  row.  So  they  came 
to  a  place  where  there  were  seven  hills, 
and  a  citadel  on  one  of  them,  and  some 
houses  scattered  about.  This  was  the  city 
of  Evander. 

It  so  happened  that  the  king  and  his 
people  had  sacrificed  that  day  to  Hercules, 
as  they  used  to  do  every  year,  and  were 
sitting  at  the  feast  afterwards.  When  they 
saw  the  ships  through  the  trees,  they  were 
a  little  troubled.  They  feared  that  the 
strangers  might  be  enemies,  for,  indeed, 
they  had  but  few  friends  in  the  country. 
So  they  all  jumped  up  from  their  places. 
But  the  King's  son,  whose  name  was  Pallas, 
cried  out:  "Sit  still:  do  not  disturb  the 
feast:  as  for  these  strangers,  I  will  look  to 
them."  So  he  snatched  up  a  spear,  and, 
standing  on  the  little  hill  on  which  the 
altar  had  been  built,  he  cried:  "Strangers, 
why    have    you    come    to    this    place?      What 

i8i 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

do  you  want?  Do  you  bring  peace  or 
war?" 

iEneas,  who  was  standing  on  the  stern  of 
his  ship,  holding  an  olive  branch  in  his 
hand  —  this  was  a  sign  of  peace  —  cried  with 
a  loud  voice:  **We  are  men  of  Troy; 
the  Latins  are  our  enemies;  we  are  seek- 
ing King  Evander.  Say  to  the  king,  if 
you  will,  that  ^Eneas,  prince  of  Troy,  has 
come,  and  wishes  to  make  alliance  with 
him." 

Now  Pallas  had  heard  the  name  of  ^neas, 
and  that  he  was  a  great  chief;  but  more  he 
did  not  know.  He  answered:  ''Come  near, 
whoever  you  are;  I  will  take  you  to  my 
father,  the  king."  So  iEneas  stepped  on  to 
the  shore,  and  Pallas  brought  him  to  the 
king. 

^neas  said:  ''I  have  come  to  you,  O 
King,  of  my  own  accord:  I  am  not  afraid  of 
you,  though  I  know  that  you  are  a  Greek, 
and  not  only  that,  but  a  kinsman  of  the  two 
sons  of  Atreus,  the  very  men  who  destroyed 
my  city  of  Troy.  For  you  are  my  kinsman 
also.  We  are  both  of  us  of  the  race  of  Atlas. 
And  there  is  this  also  between  you  and  me: 

182 


KING    EVANDER 

we  are  both  of  us  strangers  in  this  land, 
and  the  people  of  it  hate  us  both.  And  I 
am  very  sure  that  if  they  overcome  me 
they  will  also  overcome  you.  So  there 
will  be  no  one  who  can  stand  against 
them.  They  will  rule  over  Italy  from  sea 
to  sea.  Therefore  I  have  to  ask  for  your 
help,  and  to  give  help  to  you.  I  would 
not  send  ambassadors  —  I  have  come  myself. 
It  is  thus  that  men  become  most  quickly 
friends." 

As  iEneas  was  speaking,  the  king  never 
took  his  eyes  off  him.  And  when  he  had 
finished,  he  caught  him  by  the  hand,  and 
said:  "Welcome,  great  son  of  Troy!  I 
seem  myself  to  see  the  face  and  hear  the 
voice  of  Anchises.  Well  I  remember  how 
Priam  came  long  ago  to  see  his  sister,  who 
was  the  wife  of  Telamon;  and  with  him 
came  Anchises,  with  other  princes  of  Troy; 
but  there  was  not  one  of  them  who  could 
be  compared  with  Anchises.  When  he 
went  away,  he  gave  me  a  bow  made  in 
Lycia,  and  a  quiver  full  of  arrows,  also  a 
cloak  embroidered  with  gold,  and  two  bridles 
of   gold    which    Pallas    my    son    has    to     this 

183 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

day.  The  help  which  you  ask  I  will  give; 
my  people  are  as  your  people.  To-morrow ^ 
if  you  will,  you  shall  go,  and  take  with  you 
as  many  men  as  I  can  find  for  you.  But 
now,  for  you  are  come  on  a  good  day,  sit 
down  and  join  us  at  our  feast." 

So  iEneas  sat  down  by  the  king's  side, 
and  all  the  Trojans  had  seats  at  the  feast, 
and  they  ate,  and  drank,  and  were  merry. 
When  they  had  had  enough  to  eat  and 
drink.  King  Evander  said:  "We  keep  this 
day  to  Hercules,  and  with  good  reason." 
And  he  told  him 

THE    STORY   OF   CACUS 

**  Hercules,  as  you  have  doubtless  heard, 
came  into  these  parts  to  fetch  the  cattle  of 
Geryon.  The  cattle  were  strange  creatures, 
for  they  were  red,  red  as  is  the  sky  at  sunset; 
and  their  master  was  strange,  for  he  had 
three  bodies;  and  the  keepers  of  the  herd 
were  strange  also,  a  great  giant  and  a  dog 
with  two  heads.  All  these  terrible  creatures 
Hercules  killed,  and  drove  away  the  cattle, 
bringing  them  back  to  the   master  whom   he 

184 


KING   EVANDER 

served,  who  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Greece. 
In  his  journey  he  came  to  this  place.  At 
that  time  there  was  living  in  a  cave  close 
by  a  famous  robber,  Cacus  by  name.  He 
was  the  son,  men  said,  of  Vulcan,  the  god 
of  fire,  and  so  was  able  to  breathe  out  fire 
from  his  mouth.  All  men  were  afraid  of 
him,  for  who  could  fight  with  a  man  that 
could  scorch  his  adversary  by  breathing  fire 
upon  him?  Hercules  then  lay  down  to 
sleep  under  a  tree,  and  the  cattle  grazed  all 
about  the  bank  of  the  river.  When  Cacus 
saw  them,  and  saw  that  for  shape  and  colour 
they  were  such  that  no  other  cattle  in  the 
world  could  be  compared  with  them,  he 
took  four  bulls  and  four  heifers,  the  very 
finest  that  there  were  in  the  whole  herd. 
These  he  dragged  by  their  tails  to  his  cave, 
that  it  might  not  be  seen  where  they  were, 
for  the  marks  of  their  hoofs  seemed  to  be 
going  away  from  the  cave,  not  to  it,  and 
he  rolled  a  great  stone  to  the  mouth  of  the 
cave.  The  next  day,  as  Hercules  was  about 
to  go  on  his  journey,  the  bulls  and  the  heifers 
which  were  in  the  cave,  knowing  that  their 
companions  were  going  away,  and  not  liking 

185 


^NEID    FOR   BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

to  be  left  behind,  set  up  a  great  lowing. 
When  Hercules  heard  this  he  knew  that  he 
had  been  robbed,  not  having  known  it  before 
because  the  herd  was  very  great;  and  he  was 
full  of  anger.  He  took  up  his  great  club, 
and  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  hill  which 
covered  the  cave.  Cacus  saw  him  coming, 
and  fled  as  fast  as  he  could  to  his  cave. 
For  the  first  time  in  his  life  he  was  afraid, 
for  he  saw  that  this  stranger  was  far  stronger 
and  fiercer  than  any  man  that  he  had  ever 
seen  before.  So  he  ran  as  fast  as  he  could 
to  his  cave,  and  made  a  great  block  of  stone 
which  was  hanging  over  the  door  drop  down. 
It  had  been  made  so  cleverly  that  it  seemed 
exactly  like  the  rest  of  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain. Hercules  knew  that  the  cattle  were 
inside  the  mountain,  for  he  still  could  hear 
them  lowing,  but  where  the  door  of  the  cave 
might  be  he  could  not  tell.  He  went  from 
place  to  place,  gnashing  his  teeth  in  his  rage. 
Three  times  he  tried  to  pull  away  the  rock, 
and  each  time  he  found  that  it  was  part  of 
the  solid  side  of  the  mountain.  At  last  he 
saw  on  the  top  a  great  piece  of  stone  jutting 
out,  which  seemed  to  lean  towards  the  river. 

i86 


KING    EVANDER 

So  he  went  and  pushed  against  this  with 
all  his  strength  —  and  there  was  not  so  strong 
a  man  in  all  the  earth  —  and  at  last  it  gave 
way,  and  the  whole  side  of  the  mountain 
fell  with  it  into  the  river  beneath.  Then 
the  cave  of  Cacus  could  be  seen,  so  horrible 
a  place  as  had  never  been  shown  before  to 
the  eyes  of  men.  And  in  the  depth  of  the 
cave  was  the  monster  himself.  Hercules 
took  the  bow  which  he  carried  on  his 
shoulders  and  arrows  from  his  quiver  —  such 
arrows  as  no  man  but  he  possessed  —  but  he 
could  not  hit  the  monster,  for  the  cave  was 
filled  with  fire  and  smoke  which  Cacus 
poured  out  of  his  mouth.  But  Hercules 
was  not  to  be  put  off  in  this  way .  He 
plunged  into  the  cave,  and  groped  about 
till  in  the  place  where  the  smoke  was  thick- 
est he  found  the  creature.  He  caught  him  in 
his  arms,  and  struck  him  with  his  club, 
and,  when  he  could  not  kill  him  in  this 
>yay,  put  his  hands  on  his  throat  and  stran- 
gled him." 

This    was    the    story    which    Evander    told 
to  iEneas;    and  as  he  told  it  he  showed  him 

187 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

the  very  hill  in  which  the  cave  had  been, 
and  the  place  where  Hercules  had  pushed 
down  the  whole  side  of  the  mountain.  And 
now,  the  feast  being  finished,  two  bands  of 
priests,  one  of  old  men  and  one  of  young, 
came  in  and  sang  a  song  about  the  great 
deeds  of  Hercules;  how,  when  he  was  a 
baby  in  his  cradle,  he  caught  two  snakes 
which  Juno  had  sent  to  kill  him,  and  strangled 
them,  and  how  he  had  killed  the  Centaurs,  ^ 
who  were  half  horses  and  half  men,  and 
many  other  wonderful  things. 

After  this  Evander  took  ^neas  to  his 
palace  —  a  palace  it  was  called  because  a  king 
lived  in  it  —  and  told  him  all  the  story  of 
Italy.  '*Once  upon  a  time,"  he  said,  *'the 
people  here  were  savages,  not  at  all  better 
than  beasts,  not  using  fire,  or  living  in  houses, 
or  wearing  clothes,  and  knowing  no  difference 
between  right  and  wrong.  Then  Saturn  came 
and  taught  them  how  to  live,  and  gave  them 
laws.'' 

Then  he  showed  him  the  city  which  he 
had  built.  A  poor  place  it  was;  the  palace 
and  the  temples  were  of  wood  or  clay,  and 
the   roofs    were   of    thatch.      But   it  was   the 

i88 


KING   EVANDER 

place,  though  no  one  knew  it,  where  Rome 
was  to  be  in  the  days  to  come.  After  this 
the  king  took  his  guest  to  his  home,  and 
showed  him  the  room  where  he  should  sleep. 
So  JEneas  lay  down  on  a  bed  of  straw,  with 
a  bear-skin  over  him  to  keep  him  warm. 


189 


CHAPTER  XV 
THE  ARMS   OF  ^NEAS 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE    ARMS    OF    ^NEAS 

The  old  man  Evander  got  up  from  his  bed 
very  early  the  next  morning,  put  on  his 
tunic  and  his  sandals,  girded  his  sword  on 
his  side,  and,  with  the  skin  of  a  panther 
over  his  left  shoulder,  went  to  call  ^Eneas. 
Pallas  his  son  went  with  him,  and  two 
great  dogs,  which  had  lain  all  night  by  the 
door  of  his  room,  followed  him.  ^neas  he 
found  already  awake  and  dressed,  for,  indeed, 
it  was  not  a  time  when  a  man  who  had  so 
much  to  think  about  could  sleep  long. 

Evander  said:  "Great  chief  of  Troy,  we 
have  all  the  good-will  in  the  world  for 
you,  but  we  are  poor  and  weak.  There 
are  but  few  of  us,  as  you  see,  in  this  little 
town,  and  we  can  help  you  but  little.  Yet 
there  is  something  which  I  can  do  for  you; 
I  can  tell  you  of  a  people  with  whom  you 
may  make  friends.  They  are  neither  few 
nor   poor;    they  can   help   you   much,   as  you 

«  193 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

also  can  help  them.  There  is  a  city  not 
far  from  this  place  which  was  built  long 
ago  by  men  from  the  land  of  Lydia;  you 
know  the  Lydians  well,  for  they  are  neigh- 
bours of  Troy  and  fought  for  you.  Long 
ago,  when  there  was  a  great  famine  in  their 
country,  some  of  them  came  over  the  sea 
to  Italy,  and  built  a  city,  Agylla  by  name. 
Now  the  king  of  this  city,  Mezentius,  was 
one  of  the  most  wicked  of  men,  and  after 
a  while  his  people  made  a  rebellion  against 
him,  and  killed  his  guards,  and  set  fire  to 
his  palace.  The  man  himself  escaped  with 
his  life,  and  fled  to  Turnus.  So  there  is 
war  between  the  people  of  Agylla  —  Tuscans 
they  are  called  —  and  Turnus ;  for  Turnus 
wishes  to  bring  back  the  king  and  to  set 
him  over  the  people  again.  But  when  the 
Tuscans  gathered  their  army  together,  and 
would  have  gone  forth  to  war,  a  prophet 
said  to  them:  *  Tuscans,  you  do  well  to  be 
angry  with  your  king,  and  to  fight  against 
him  and  his  friends ;  but  mark  this,  or  you 
will  not  prosper,  —  no  man  of  Italy  must  be 
your  leader.  You  must  have  a  stranger  to 
command    you.'       When    the    Tuscans    heard 

194 


THE    ARMS    OF   ^NEAS 

the  prophet  say  this,  they  came  to  me  and 
would  have  had  me  to  be  their  leader.  But 
I  am  old  and  feeble;  and  when  they  would 
have  had  Pallas  my  son,  the  prophet  forbade, 
because  the  mother  of  Pallas  was  a  woman 
of  Italy.  You,  therefore,  are  the  man  whom 
they  look  for:  you  are  in  your  prime,  and 
you  are  altogether  a  stranger  in  race.  Do 
you  then  stand  forth  and  be  the  leader  of 
these  Tuscans.  And  Pallas  shall  go  with 
you  and  learn  from  you  to  be  a  good 
soldier.  Two  hundred  horsemen  I  will  send 
with  you,  and  there  are  two  hundred  men 
who  follow  Pallas  my  son." 

While  the  king  was  still  speaking  there 
was  heard  a  great  clap  of  thunder,  though  the 
sky  was  clear,  and  after  the  thunder  the  sound 
of  a  trumpet  such  as  the  Tuscans  use.  And 
iEneas  knew  that  these  were  signs  of  good; 
and  he  said  to  the  king:  "Be  of  good  cheer; 
all  shall  go  well."  Then  he  made  ready  to  go. 
Some  of  his  company  he  kept  with  him;  to 
the  rest  he  said:  "Go  back  to  the  camp,  for 
they  may  want  you  there." 

So  when  he  was  ready  to  depart,  Evander 
took   him   by   the   hand,   and   said:    "How   I 

195 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

wish  that  Jupiter  would  give  me  back  the 
years  that  are  gone.  For  I,  too,  was  a  good 
soldier  in  my  youth.  Did  I  not  kill  King 
Herulus,  the  man  with  three  lives?  Twice 
I  killed  him,  and  he  came  to  life  again,  and 
then  I  killed  him  for  the  third  time.  If  I 
were  but  such  a  one  now,  then  either  I  had 
gone  in  my  son's  place  or  we  had  gone  to- 
gether. But  now  this  is  my  prayer  to  the 
Gods:  If  it  be  their  will  that  my  son  should 
come  back  safe  and  sound,  then  let  me  live  to 
see  him;  but  if  not,  then  may  I  die  this  very 
day  while  he  still  lives  and  is  my  own." 

When  he  had  said  this,  he  fell  back  faint- 
ing, and  his  people  carried  him  into  his 
palace. 

Then  the  horsemen  rode  out  from  the  city, 
four  hundred  of  them  in  all,  with  Prince 
Pallas  in  the  midst,  fair  as  the  Morning  Star, 
the  star  which  Is  fairer  than  all  others,  and 
which  Venus  calls  by  her  own  name.  And 
they  came  to  a  grove  where  the  Tuscans, 
under  their  leader,  whose  name  was  Tarchon, 
had  pitched  their  camp. 

And  Venus  had  not  forgotten  her  dear  son. 
While  he  slept,   she  said  to  Vulcan  her  hus- 

196 


THE   ARMS    OF   ^NEAS 

band:  "My  husband,  while  the  Greeks  were 
fighting  against  Troy,  I  never  asked  you  to 
make  arms  for  my  dear  son,  as  did  the  god- 
dess of  the  morning  for  her  son  Memnon; 
and  the  goddess  of  the  sea  for  Achilles.  For 
I  said  to  myself:  *The  gods  have  decreed  that 
Troy  shall  fall:  why  should  he  waste  his 
time  and  his  labour  in  giving  help  where  help 
cannot  be  of  any  use  ? '  But  now  all  things  are 
changed.  My  son  is  come  to  this  land  of  Italy 
by  the  will  of  the  gods;  but  all  the  nations 
are  gathering  themselves  together  against  him. 
I  pray  thee,  therefore,  to  help  him  and  me, 
that  he  may  the  more  easily  gain  that  which 
it  is  the  pleasure  of  the  gods  that  he  should 
have.  Make  arms  for  him  that  he  may 
conquer  his  enemies  and  be  safe  against  their 
spears  and  swords." 

Very  early  the  next  morning,  as  early  as  a 
woman  who  makes  her  living  by  spinning 
gets  up  to  light  her  fire  and  set  her  servants 
to  work  so  that  her  husband  and  her  children 
may  have  food  to  eat,  so  early  did  the  god  of 
fire  rise.  He  went  to  a  certain  island  which 
is  near  to  Sicily,  where  he  had  set  up  his 
forge.      There  the  one-eyed  giants,  who  were 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

his  servants,  were  hard  at  work.  Some  of 
them  were  making  thunderbolts  for  Jupiter. 
Of  these  thunderbolts  one  was  unfinished, 
and  one  could  see  the  things  of  which  it 
was  made.  There  were  three  parts  of  hail, 
and  three  of  storm-cloud,  and  three  of  red 
fire  and  of  the  south  wind;  and  now  they 
were  putting  in  the  lightning  and  noise  and 
fear.  Others  of  the  giants  were  busy  with 
other  things.  One  was  making  a  chariot 
for  Mars,  another  a  shirt  of  mail  for  Minerva. 
But  the  god  cried:  "'Come,  all  of  you,  and 
do  this  new  work  which  I  have  for  you. 
Make  arms  and  armour  for  the  hero  ^Eneas." 
So  they  set  to  work.  Some  of  them  melted 
gold  and  copper  and  tin,  and  some  worked 
at  the  bellows,  and  some  held  the  hot  metal 
in  pincers,   and   some   dipped   it   in  water. 

They  made  a  helmet  with  a  nodding 
plume  that  blazed  like  fire,  and  a  sword, 
and  a  shirt  of  mail,  and  greaves  of  gold  for 
the  legs,  and  a  spear.  But  the  greatest  and 
most  wonderful  thing  that  they  made  was 
a  shield.  For  on  this  the  god  wrought  all 
the  story  of  Rorr)e  and  the  Romans  that 
were   to  be.      There  you  might  see   the   she- 

198 


THE    ARMS    OF   iENEAS 

wolf  in  the  cave  of  Mars  suckling  the  two 
babes,  for  these  had  been  put  out  to  die 
by  a  cruel  king,  and  the  she-wolf  found 
them,  and  carried  them  to  her  den,  and 
suckled  them  as  if  they  had  been  her  own 
young  ones.  They  lay,  not  fearing  her  at 
all,  and  she  was  turning  her  head  and  lick- 
ing them  as  they  lay.  Also  you  might  see 
how  the  Romans  were  carr\4ng  off  the 
Sabine  girls  to  be  their  wives;  in  another 
place  there  was  the  battle  being  fought, 
where  their  fathers  and  brothers  came  to 
take  them  back;  in  yet  another  the  two 
kings  making  peace,  so  that  thereafter  the 
Romans  and  Sabines  should  be  not  two 
nations  but  one.  Also  King  Porsenna  was 
to  be  seen.  For  the  Romans  had  driven 
out  their  king,  and*  Porsenna  had  come  to 
bring  him  back.  There  he  stood  with  his 
hand  stretched  out,  and  on  the  other  side 
the  Romans  stood  in  arms  against  him. 
Also  the  brave  Horatius  was  guarding  the 
bridge  by  which  the  enemy  would  have 
crossed  the  river,  and  the  Romans  were 
breaking  it  down  behind  him.  And  yet 
again    the    girl     Clcelia,    having    been     given 

199 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

as  a  hostage,  had  broken  her  bonds,  and 
was  swimming  across  the  river.  Also  in 
another  place  you  could  see  the  hill  of  the 
Capitol,  which,  when  all  the  rest  of  Rome 
was  taken  by  the  Gauls,  yet  remained. 
The  enemy  were  creeping  up  the  side, 
through  the  trees,  and  climbing  up  from 
rock  to  rock.  Their  hair  was  worked  in 
gold,  and  so  were  their  cloaks;  they  carried 
in  each  hand  a  spear,  and  each  had*  a 
shield.  But  at  the  top  the  geese  were 
fluttering  about,  for  they  were  awake,  though 
the  very  dogs  were  asleep.  They  were 
worked  in  silver,  and  the  place  where  they 
were  was  worked  in  gold.  And  in  the 
middle  of  the  clifif  stood  the  brave  Manlius, 
thrusting  down  the  Gauls  just  as  they  laid 
their  hands  on  the  very  edge  of  the  cliff. 
Other  things  were  there  to  be  seen.  But 
the  most  wonderful  of  all  was  the  great 
battle  of  ships  between  the  East  and  the  West. 
On  one  side  was  Augustus  with  the  men 
of  Italy  behind  him;  on  the  other  Antony, 
leading  to  battle  Persians  and  Egyptians  and 
many  another  barbarous  tribe,  and  close  behind 
him  —  a   shameful   sight  —  his   Egyptian  wife. 

200 


f 


THE    ARMS    OF   iENEAS 

When  Venus  saw  that  ^neas  was  alone, 
for  he  had  wandered  away  from  his  com- 
panions, she  brought  the  arms,  and  laid 
them  at  his  feet,  saying:  ** These  the  god 
of  fire  has  wrought  for  you.  With  these 
you  need  fear  no  enemy,  no,  not  Turnus 
himself."      Then  she  vanished. 


201 


CHAPTER  XVI 
NISUS  AND   EURYALUS 


CHAPTER   XVI 


NISUS   AND    EURYALUS 


Juno  did  not  fail  to  see  how  she  might  do 
harm  to  the  Trojans.  '*Now,"  said  she  to 
herself,  "now  is  the  time,  while  their  chief 
is  away,  and  while  their  camp  is  but  half- 
finished."  So  she  sent  Iris  her  messenger 
to  Prince  Turnus  with  these  words:  "The 
chance  which  neither  I  nor  any  one  else, 
whether  god  or  man,  could  promise  you  has 
come  of  itself,  or  time  has  brought  it. 
iEneas  has  gone  away  to  the  city  of  Evander, 
hoping  to  make  him  his  ally.  He  has  left 
his  ships  and  his  camp,  which  is  but  half- 
finished.  Take  the  chance  and  attack  them." 
Turnus  was  offering  sacrifice,  and  when  he 
turned  about  he  saw  a  rainbow,  for  the  rain- 
bow is  the  way  by  which  Iris  goes  to  and  fro, 
when  she  carries  the  messages  of  the  gods. 
Then  Turnus  called  his  army  together,  and 
set  forth,  marching  towards  the  camp  which 
the  Trojans  had  pitched  by  the  sea-shore. 

205 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

The  men  who  were  watching  on  the  wall 
saw  a  great  cloud  of  dust,  and  one  of  them 
cried:  *'To  arms,  my  friends!  make  ready 
to  defend  the  camp;  the  enemy  is  at  hand.'' 
Then  the  Trojans  shut  the  gates,  and  manned 
the  walls.  For  ^Eneas  had  said:  '*Do  not 
fight  in  the  plain,  whatever  may  happen: 
the  enemy  are  too  strong  for  you;  keep 
behind  the  walls." 

Turnus,  riding  on  a  Thracian  horse,  came 
up  to  the  wall,  and  threw  his  spear  over  it. 
So  he  began  the  siege.  Then  he  rode  round 
the  camp,  looking  for  some  place  where  he 
might  make  his  way  in.  Just  so  a  wolf 
will  prowl  round  a  sheepfold  at  night,  and 
the  lambs  bleat  inside,  being  safe  by  their 
dams,  and  the  beast,  being  wild  with  hunger, 
grows  more  and  more  mad  as  he  hears  them. 
So  Turnus  raged  round  the  camp,  looking 
for  a  weak  place  by  which  he  might  enter. 
But  he  could  find  none,  and  the  Trojans 
would  not  come  forth.  Then  he  thought 
to  himself:  *'Well;  if  I  cannot  come  at 
them,  cowards  as  they  are,  I  will  at  the 
least  burn  their  ships;"  for  the  ships  were 
drawn    up    by    the    sea-shore,    close    to    the 

206 


NISUS   AND    EURYALUS 

camp.  So  he  called  for  torches,  and  rushed 
to  the  ships,  holding  one  ready  lighted  in 
his  hand,  and  all  the  people  followed  him. 
Then  there  happened  a  very  strange  thing 
indeed.  Seven  years  before,  when  ^Eneas 
was  building  his  ships  on  the  plain  between 
the  sea  and  Mount  Ida,  the  Mother  of  the 
gods  said  to  Jupiter:  "My  son,  you  see 
that  iEneas  is  building  himself  ships  with 
the  pines  that  grow  on  my  mountain  of 
Ida.  This  pleases  me  well;  the  pines  I 
have  given  him.  But  I  do  not  like  to  think 
that,  being  mine,  they  should  be  broken  by 
winds  and  waves  when  they  sail  across  the 
seas.  Grant,  therefore,  I  pray  you,  that  these 
ships  may  be  safe  against  all  storms."  Jupiter 
answered:  '*My  mother,  you  ask  what  can- 
not be.  Mortal  ships  cannot  be  made  im- 
mortal. They,  too,  must  stand  the  chances 
of  winds  and  waves"  —  and  so  it  was  that 
some  were  wrecked  as  iEneas  sailed  from 
Sicily  to  Carthage,  and  some  were  burnt  in 
Sicily  —  "but  this  you  shall  have.  Such  as 
shall  come  safe  to  the  land  of  Italy  shall 
not  perish,  for  I  will  change  them  into 
nymphs   of   the    sea."      And    so   it   happened 

207 


iENEID   FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

now:  before  even  Turnus  and  his  men  could 
come  at  the  ships,  the  cables  by  which  they 
were  held  were  broken,  and  the  ships  seemed 
to  move  of  their  own  accord,  and  as  they 
moved  they  became  nymphs  of  the  sea,  for 
every  ship  a  nymph. 

All  men,  Trojans  and  Latins  alike,  were 
astonished  to  see  this  thing,  and  not  a  little 
afraid.  But  Turnus  was  not  afraid:  ''This," 
he  cried,  "is  a  marvel  indeed,  but  it  is  a 
marvel  that  means  ill  for  these  strangers. 
Their  ships  flee  from  us.  Yes,  and  mark  you 
—  they  will  not  be  able  to  get  away  from 
us.  They  talk  of  fate;  yes,  it  was  their  fate 
to  come  to  Italy,  and  it  is  my  fate  to  destroy 
them.  They  are  walking  in  their  old  ways. 
Paris  stole  a  wife  from  Greece,  iEneas  comes 
to  steal  a  wife  from  me.  Do  they  think 
that  this  wall  will  protect  them?  Did  the 
walls  of  Troy  defend  it?  And  yet  these 
were  built  by  Neptune.  And  now,  who  is 
coming  with  me  to  storm  their  camp?  We 
will  not  do  it  in  the  night;  we  will  not 
do  it  by  stealth.  We  do  not  need  a  horse 
of  wood  to  creep  into  their  town.  Hector 
kept   back   the  youth   of  Greece   for  ten  long 

208 


NISUS   AND   URYALUS 

years,  but  the  youth  of  Italy  is  of  another 
kind." 

But  by  this  time  it  was  dark,  and  nothing 
could  be  done.  So  Turnus  set  King  Messapus 
to  watch  the  gate  of  the  camp,  and  fourteen 
chiefs  of  Italy,  each  with  a  hundred  men, 
to  watch  the  walls.  As  for  the  rest,  they 
sat    down    to    eat    and    drink. 

When  it  was  near  to  midnight,  Nisus, 
the  keeper  of  the  gate  —  the  same  that  but 
for  his  sHpping  had  won  the  foot-race  —  said 
to  his  comrade  Euryalus:  "I  am  bent  on 
doing  something  this  night.  Whether  the 
thing  comes  from  the  gods,  or  from  my  own 
heart,  I  do  not  know,  but  something  I  must 
do.  Do  you  see  how  bad  a  watch  the  enemy 
are  keeping,  how  some  are  asleep  and  some 
are  drunken?  Can  I  not  carry  the  news 
to  iEneas,  and  so  win  great  honour  and 
reward?  Do  you  see  that  hill  yonder?  By 
that  lies  the  way  to  the   city  of  Evander." 

Euryalus  answered:  **You  are  right;  it 
would  be  a  glorious  thing  to  go  on  such 
an  errand.  But  you  shall  not  go  alone.  I 
will  not  be  left  here,  O  Nisus.  My  father 
did  not  bring  me  up  to  suffer  such  disgrace, 
o  209 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS 

nor  have  I  so  behaved  that  you  should  think 
of  it.  And  as  for  Hfe,  who  would  not  die 
for  the  chance  of  winning  such  honour?" 

"Nay,"  said  Nisus,  "I  did  not  think  for 
one  moment  that  you  would  hold  back. 
But  this  was  in  my  mind.  If  I  come  to 
my  end  in  this  affair,  then  Euryalus  will 
buy  back  my  body  from  the  enemy.  Or, 
if  this  may  not  be,  he  will,  at  the  least, 
pay  the  honours  that  are  due  to  the  dead. 
And  then,  dear  lad,  think  of  your  mother. 
When  all  the  other  mothers  of  Troy  chose 
to  stay  behind  with  King  Acestes  in  the 
land  of  Sicily,  she  alone,  for  she  loved  you, 
came  with  us  to  the  land  of  Italy." 

But  Euryalus  said:  "All  this  is  idle  talk. 
You  cannot  turn  me  back,  for  my  purpose 
to  go  is  fixed.  Let  us  make  haste  and  do 
the  thing."  So  they  roused  two  of  their 
comrades  to  take  their  places,  and  went  to 
see  the  chiefs  who  had  the  charge  of  the 
camp.  These  were  holding  counsel  together, 
standing  in  the  open  space  that  was  in  the 
middle  of  the  camp,  and  leaning  on  their 
spears.  Nisus  said:  "My  lords,  I  have 
something    to    say,    and    it    is    a  matter    that 

210 


NISUS    AND    EURYALUS 

cannot  wait.'"  ''Speak  on,"  said  Ascanius. 
Then  said  Nisus:  "The  enemy  are  not 
keeping  any  watch.  Some  are  sleeping,  and 
others  are  drunken;  the  watch-fires  are  not 
kept  ahght.  It  is  in  my  mind  that  we  two 
should  make  our  way  to  ^Eneas,  to  the  city 
of  Evander.  On  our  way  we  can  kill  many 
of  the  enemy,  and  take  much  spoil  from 
them;  but,  chief  of  all,  we  can  tell  ^neas 
of  what  has  happened  here.  All  this  we 
can  do  easily,  if  we  have  but  good  luck. 
As  for  the  way,  we  know  it  well,  for  we 
have  hunted  in  these  parts."  Then  said  one 
of  the  chiefs:  "Troy  has  not  perished  alto- 
gether, if  it  still  has  such  sons  as  you." 
And  Ascanius  said:  "Bring  back  my  father, 
and  all  will  be  well.  As  for  your  rewards, 
they  shall  be  worthy  of  you.  You,  Nisus, 
if  we  conquer  this  land  of  Italy,  shall  have 
the  horses  and  the  arms  of  Turnus,  and 
captives,  both  men  and  women,  those  that 
you  shall  choose  for  yourself,  and  the  land 
that  now  belongs  to  King  Latinus.  As  for 
you,  Euryalus,  you  shall  come  next  to  myself 
in  all  things." 

Then  said  Euryalus:    "There  is  one  thing 
211 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

that  I  would  ask.  I  have  a  mother.  She 
is  of  the  race  of  Priam.  I  cannot  say  good- 
bye  to  her,  for  I  could  not  bear  to  see  hei 
tears.  Do  you  care  for  her,  if  she  should 
lose  me."  Ascanius  said:  *'She  shall  be  as 
a  mother  to  me."  Then  he  gave  him  his 
own  sword  with  an  ivory  sheath,  and  others 
gave  other  things  to  the  two.  And  all  the 
chiefs  went  with  them  to  the  gates,  making 
many  prayers  and  vows  for  their  success. 
And  Ascanius  gave  them  many  messages  to 
take  to  his  father. 

Then  they  crossed  the  ditch  which  was 
round  the  wall  of  the  camp,  and  went  among 
the  enemy.  By  this  time  even  those  who 
had  been  set  to  watch  were  asleep,  for  they 
thought  the  Trojans  to  be  so  weak  that 
there  was  no  need  to  trouble  about  them. 
First  Nisus  slew  a  man,  Rhamnes  by  name. 
He  was  counted  to  be  a  wise  prophet  who 
knew  what  was  going  to  happen,  but  he 
did  not  know  of  his  own  death.  Then  he 
came  to  where  a  chief  named  Remus  lay 
sleeping;  near  him  were  his  three  servants 
and  the  driver  of  his  chariot.  All  these 
Nisus  killed,  and  Remus  last    of  all.      Many 

212 


NISUS   AND    EURYALUS 

others  he  slew,  and  Euryalus  coming  behind 
him  did  the  same.  But  when  they  came 
to  the  tents  of  King  Messapus,  Nisus  thought 
to  himself:  *'We  are  forgetting  our  business. 
The  love  of  kilHng  is  too  much  for  us." 
And  he  said  to  his  companion:  '*It  is 
enough:  the  day  breaks;  we  have  made 
our  way  through  the  enemy;  let  us  seek 
iEneas."  So  they  went  on  their  way.  Much 
spoil  they  left  behind  them;  but  Euryalus 
put  upon  his  head  the  helmet  of  Messapus, 
which  he  had  taken  from  the  side  of  the 
king  where  he  lay  sleeping. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  a  certain  chief, 
Volscens  by  name,  was  coming  with  three  hun- 
dred horsemen  from  the  city  to  the  camp. 
One  of  them  caught  sight  of  the  helmet 
which  Euryalus  was  wearing,  for  it  glittered 
in  the  light  of  the  moon.  And  he  told 
it  to  Volscens;  and  Volscens  cried:  ''Who 
are  you  ?      Whither  are  you  going  ? " 

But  the  two  made  no  answer,  thinking 
of  nothing  but  how  they  might  escape.  So 
Volscens  told  his  men  to  watch  the  wood, 
which  was  very  thick  with  trees  and  brambles. 
This     they     did.        Nevertheless,     Nisus     got 

213 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

through  it,  and  might  have  got  away  had 
he  wished  so  to  do.  But  when  he  came  to 
the  stalls  where  King  Latinus  kept  his  cattle, 
he  found  that  he  was  alone.  Then,  for  he 
could  not  bear  to  get  away  leaving  his  dear 
companion  behind,  he  entered  the  wood  again 
and  searched  it  through.  After  a  while  he 
heard  the  noise  of  horsemen  coming  near. 
So  hiding  himself  in  a  thicket,  he  looked, 
and  behold  Euryalus  was  in  the  middle  of 
the  company.  He  was  trying  to  escape, 
but  could  not.  Then  Nisus  said  to  himself: 
"'May  be,  if  I  can  kill  some  of  them,  the 
rest,  not  knowing  how  their  comrades  are 
slain,  will  be  scattered,  and  Euryalus  will 
escape."  So,  having  first  prayed  to  Diana 
for  help,  he  threw  his  spear.  The  spear 
struck  one  Sulmo  on  the  back.  It  pierced 
right  through  him  to  the  very  heart,  and 
he  fell  dead  on  the  ground.  While  they 
looked,  there  came  another  spear  out  of  the 
hiding-place  of  Nisus.  This  struck  another 
of  the  horsemen  —  this  time  on  the  head  — 
and  killed  him.  Volscens  was  furious  to  see 
such  a  thing,  that  his  men  were  killed  he 
knew    not    how,    and    he    cried    out    against 

214 


NISUS    AND    EURYALUS 

Euryalus:  '*WelI,  you  at  least  shall  suffer 
for  these  things,"  and  he  flew  at  him.  This 
Nisus  could  not  bear  to  see.  He  came  out 
from  his  hiding-place,  crying:  "I  am  the 
man  who  did  this:  turn  your  swords  on  me. 
He  did  not,  nay,  he  could  not  do  suck 
deeds.  He  did  but  follow  his  friend."  But 
it  was  of  no  use.  Volscens  drove  his  sword 
into  the  side  of  Euryalus.  In  a  moment 
the  blood  poured  out  all  over  him,  and  his 
head  drooped,  like  a  wild  flower  in  the 
field  when  the  plough  goes  over  it,  or  a 
poppy  in  the  garden  when  its  stalk  is  broken. 
When  Nisus  saw  this,  he  had  but  one 
thought  in  his  heart:  *'Let  me  die,  so 
that  at  the  least  I  may  kill  this  Volscens." 
And  he  rushed  at  him,  and,  for  all  that 
his  comrades  could  do  to  help  him,  drove 
his  sword  right  into  his  mouth  and  killed 
him.  Then,  being  himself  pierced  with  many 
wounds,  he  fell  dead  on  the  body  of  his 
friend. 


215 


CHAPTER   XVII 
THE   BATTLE   AT  THE   CAMP 


I 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE    BATTLE    AT   THE    CAMP 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  the  battle  began. 
The  Latins  had  fixed  the  heads  of  Nisus 
and  Euryalus  on  poles;  these  were  carried 
round  the  camp  so  that  all  could  see  them, 
and  not  a  little  grieved  and  troubled  were 
the  Trojans  at  the  sight.  First  the  Latins 
tried  to  take  the  camp  by  what  was  called 
a  "tortoise,"  because  this  creature  has  a  very 
thick  and  strong  shell.  Such  a  shell  the  soldiers 
made  over  their  heads,  by  putting  their  shields 
together,  and  this  so  closely  that  no  one  could 
thrust  a  spear  through  it.  Underneath  this 
shield  the  men  worked,  some  at  filling  up 
the  ditch  and  others  at  digging  away  the 
wall.  But  the  Trojans  with  great  labour 
rolled  up  a  great  rock  from  the  inside  on 
to  the  wall,  and  this  they  pushed  over  so 
that  it  fell  upon  the  "tortoise"  and  broke 
it  down.  Many  were  crushed  to  death, 
and,  after   this,   the    Latins   were    not   willing 

219 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

to  fight  any  more  in  this  way.  But  they 
did  not  cease  for  a  moment  from  attacking 
the  camp.  Some  put  scaUng-ladders  against 
the  wall,  and  climbed  up  by  them  to  the 
top  of  the  wall.  But  the  Trojans  thrust 
at  them  with  poles  and  spears  as  they 
chmbed,  killing  some  and  wounding  some, 
and  pushing  others  off  the  steps  of  the 
ladders,  so  that  they  fell  to  the  ground. 
And  if  one  or  other  did  climb  to  the  top 
and  step  on  the  wall,  then  he  was  one 
against  many,  and  could  not  hold  his  ground, 
but  was  either  killed  or  cast  down  to  the 
earth.  But  it  was  by  fire  that  the  great 
harm  was  done  to  the  Trojans.  There  was 
a  great  tower  upon  the  walls,  which  the 
Latins  tried  to  take,  and  the  Trojans  to 
defend.  On  to  this  Turnus  threw  a  lighted 
torch,  and  the  fire  caught  the  wood  of 
which  it  was  made  and  climbed  from  story 
to  story,  for  the  wind  was  blowing  and 
made  the  flame  the  fiercer.  In  a  short 
time,  the  lower  part  being  burnt  away,  the 
whole  tower  fell  forward,  and  all  the  men  that 
were  in  it  perished,  except  two  only.  One 
of  them  was  now  growing  old,  and  was  but 

220 


THE    BATTLE    AT   THE    CAMP 

a  slow  runner,  and  he,  seeing  himself  sur- 
rounded by  the  enemy,  threw  himself  on 
to  them  where  the  spears  were  thickest, 
and  so  died  fighting.  But  the  other  was 
a  young  man,  very  nimble  and  a  great 
runner,  and  he  made  his  way  through  the 
enemy  even  as  far  as  the  wall.  And  this 
he  climbed,  and  had  now  his  hand  upon 
the  top,  when  Turnus  caught  him  from 
behind.  As  an  eagle  catches  a  swan,  or  a 
wolf  a  lamb,  so  he  caught  him  and  pulled 
him  down,  and  a  great  bit  of  the  wall  with 
him,  for  the  man  clung  to  the  wall  with 
all  his  might.  So  the  battle  grew  fiercer 
and  fiercer.  Many  Trojans  were  slain  and 
many  Latins. 

And  now  came  the  time  when  the  young 
Ascanius  was  to  put  away  childish  things 
and  become  a  man.  There  was  among  the 
Latins  a  certain  Numanus,  who  was  married 
to  the  sister  of  Turnus.  This  man  was  not 
a  little  proud  of  himself  and  of  his  family, 
for,  indeed,  it  was  no  small  thing  to  be 
brother-in-law  to  Turnus.  So  he  stood  in 
the  front  rank  and  shouted  out:  "Men  of 
Troy,    are   you    not   ashamed   to   be   besieged 

221 


JENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

again?  Were  not  the  ten  years  enough  for 
you  ?  Why  were  you  mad  enough  to  come 
to  Italy?  We  are  a  hardy  race.  We  dip 
our  new-born  babes  in  the  stream,  and  our 
boys  exercise  themselves  with  hunting,  and 
our  grown  men  have  their  hands  always 
either  on  the  sword  or  on  the  plough. 
And  when  we  are  old,  we  do  not  rest; 
though  our  hair  has  grown  white,  we  still 
cover  it  with  a  helmet.  But  you,  with 
your  mantles  of  purple,  and  your  long  sleeves 
and  your  scents,  you  —  Phrygian  women,  I  call 
you,  not  Phrygian  men  —  what  are  you  doing 
here  ?     This  is  no  place  for  you ! " 

The  young  Ascanius  could  not  put  up 
with  such  boasting.  Never  before  had  he 
used  his  bow  in  battle,  but  only  in  hunting 
wild  beasts.  But  now  he  took  an  arrow 
from  his  quiver,  and  put  the  notch  upon 
the  string,  and  drew  the  bow  with  all  his 
strength,  saying  a  prayer  and  making  a  vow 
at  the  same  time  to  Jupiter.  Jupiter  heard, 
and  thundered  on  the  left  hand;  and  even 
as  the  thunder  was  heard,  the  arrow  hissed 
through  the  air,  and  struck  Numanus  on 
the    head,    piercing    it    through    from    temple 

222 


THE    BATTLE   AT   THE    CAMP 

to  temple.  "This  is  the  answer,  boaster, 
which  the  Trojans,  twice  conquered  though 
they  are,  send  to  you."  So  he  cried,  and 
I  the  people  shouted  for  joy.  Apollo,  where 
he  sat  in  heaven,  looking  at  the  battle,  saw 
the  deed.  "Go  on  as  you  have  begun,  son 
of  Troy,"  he  cried.  But  he  said  to  himself: 
"The  lad  must  not  grow  over  bold."  So 
he  came  down  from  heaven,  taking  the 
shape  of  an  old  man  who  in  time  long 
past  had  carried  the  armour  of  Anchises,  and 
now  followed  Ascanius.  "It  is  enough," 
said  the  old  man,  "that  you  have  slain 
this  boaster;  but  now  stand  out  of  the 
battle." 

Those  who  were  standing  by  heard  the 
voice  and  looked,  and  as  they  looked  he 
vanished  out  of  their  sight;  but  they  heard 
the  rattle  of  his  quiver,  and  they  knew  that 
it  was  the  Archer-god  himself.  So  they 
told  the  boy  that  he  must  not  draw  his 
bow  again.  And  the  battle  grew  fiercer 
and  fiercer. 

Now  there  were  two  young  men,  twin 
brothers,  both  tall  as  pine  trees.  The  name 
of  one  was  Bitias,  and  the  name  of  the  other 

223 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

was  Pandarus.  These  had  been  set  to  keep 
the  gate.  And  now  they  opened  the  gate, 
and  let  the  enemy  come  in;  but  as  they 
came  in,  the  two  standing  in  their  places,  one 
on  one  side  of  the  gate,  and  the  other  on 
the  other,  struck  them  down.  The  Trojans 
were  glad  to  see  it,  and  grew  so  bold  that 
they  went  out  beyond  the  walls,  though 
iEneas  had  forbidden  this,  saying:  "What- 
ever may  happen,  still  keep  behind  the  walls." 
And  it  would  have  been  well  for  them  if 
they  had  obeyed  him.  For  now  Turnus  him- 
self saw  what  had  been  done,  and  he  rushed 
to  the  gate.  First  he  killed  one  of  the  twin 
brothers,  namely  Bitias.  It  was  not  by  cast- 
ing a  javelin  at  him  that  he  did  it;  that 
had  not  been  enough.  He  came  close  to 
him,  and  struck  him  with  a  great  spear 
that  he  carried  —  a  great  spear  with  a  great 
point  of  Spanish  iron,  a  foot  and  a  half  long. 
Through  the  shield  of  bull's  hide  and  through 
a  double  coat  of  mail  he  drove  it,  and  Bitias 
fell,  as  a  tree  might  fall,  with  his  shield 
over  him. 

When  the  Trojans  saw  that  their  champion 
was  dead,  they  were  troubled,  for  Bitias  was 

224 


THE    BATTLE   AT   THE    CAMP 

one  of  the  bravest  and  strongest  of  them. 
And  Pandarus,  in  his  fear,  thrust  his  broad 
shoulders  against  the  gate,  and  shut  it  again. 
Some  of  his  own  people  he  left  on  the  outside, 
but  Turnus  himself  he  shut  in,  not  knowing 
that  he  had  done  it.  Turnus  raged  for  blood, 
as  a  tiger  rages  when  he  has  leapt  into  a 
herd  of  cattle.  And  the  Trojans  fled  before 
him.  But  Pandarus  did  not  flee.  He  was 
not  one  who  was  afraid  of  any  man,  and, 
besides,  he  hoped  to  have  vengeance  for  his 
brother.  He  cried  to  Turnus:  **What  are 
you  doing  here?  This  is  not  your  own 
city;  this  is  the  camp  of  Troy,  from  which 
you  shall  not  go  out  alive."  But  Turnus 
laughed  to  hear  him  boast,  and  said:  *' Begin, 
if  you  are  so  bold;  maybe,  you  have  found 
another  Achilles  here  in  Italy."  Then  Pan- 
darus threw  his  spear,  a  great  shaft  of  pine- 
wood  with  the  bark  still  on  it.  With  great 
strength  he  threw  it,  but  aimed  it  wrong  — 
some  said  that  Juno  turned  it  aside  that  it 
struck  the  gate.  Then  Turnus  raised  his 
sword  high  above  his  head,  and  struck  with 
all  his  might,  rising  to  the  blow.  He  brought 
the  sword  down  upon  the  head  of  Pandarus, 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

and  cleft  it  in  two.  Then,  indeed,  if 
Turnus  had  but  thought  to  open  the  gate 
and  let  in  his  friends,  there  had  been  that 
day  an  end  of  the  war,  and,  indeed,  of 
Troy.  But  he  was  so  greedy  to  kill  that 
he  forgot.  Many  Trojans  he  killed,  but  the 
gate  was  still  shut,  and  the  Latins  could  not 
come  in. 

But  now  the  Trojan  chiefs  were  ashamed 
to  see  that  one  man  could  do  such  harm. 
They  stirred  the  people  with  bitter  words. 
''Whither  will  you  flee?  What  other  walls 
have  you  ?  Are  you  not  ashamed  to  betray 
your  chief?  Will  you  suffer  yourselves  to 
be  conquered  by  one  man?"  Then  the 
Trojans  took  courage,  and  joined  themselves 
in  a  close  array,  so  that  Turnus  could  not 
choose  but  give  way  before  them.  Just  so  a 
lion  gives  way  before  a  crowd  of  men.  He 
is  frightened,  and  yet  he  is  fierce.  His 
courage  will  not  suffer  him  to  fly,  but  when 
there  are  so  many  against  him,  he  dares 
not  stand.  So  it  was  with  Turnus.  Twice 
he  turned,  and  drove  back  the  Trojans;  and 
twice  they  pressed  him  so  hard  that  he 
could    not    but    give    way.      His    shield    was 

226 


THE    BATTLE    AT   THE    CAMP 

broken,  and  his  helmet  bent  in,  and  he  him- 
self wearied  almost  to  death.  At  last,  when 
he  came  to  where  the  river  touched  the 
camp,  he  leapt  into  the  stream,  and  swam 
to  the  other  side. 


jf 


227 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
THE  BATTLE   ON  THE   SHORE 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE    BATTLE    ON   THE    SHORE 

While  these  things  were  going  on  at  the 
camp,  iEneas  made  an  alHance  with  the  Tus- 
cans under  their  chief  Tarchon.  To  him  he 
told  everything  about  himself  —  who  he  was  and 
whence  he  came,  and  how  the  gods  had  bidden 
him  settle  in  Italy.  And  Tarchon  told  it  to 
the  people,  and  they,  believing  that  ^Eneas  was 
indeed  the  man  whom  the  gods  had  chosen 
to  be  their  chief,  followed  him  willingly.  So, 
this  matter  being  settled,  he  set  out  on  his 
way  back  to  the  camp,  for  he  was  not  a  little 
anxious  about  his  son  and  his  people.  He 
went  first  in  his  ship,  and  Pallas,  the  son  of 
Evander,  sat  by  him,  and  after  him  came 
the  ships  of  the  Tuscans,  and  with  the 
Tuscans  came  others  from  the  northern  parts 
of  Italy,  some  eight  thousand  men  in  thirty 
ships.  All  that  night  they  rowed  down  the 
river,    and    iEneas    sat    at    the    helm    of    his 

231 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

ship,  for  his  heart  was  too  full  of  care  to 
suffer  him  to  sleep.  About  midnight  he 
saw  a  strange  sight.  There  came  up  to 
the  side  of  his  ship  a  nymph.  She  laid  one 
hand  upon  the  ship,  and  with  the  other 
hand  she  swam.  And  he  could  see  that 
there  were  other  nymphs  behind  her  and  by 
her  side.  She  said:  '*Are  you  awake,  son  of 
Venus  ?  It  is  well ;  there  are  many  things 
for  you  to  think  about.  I  and  my  com- 
panions whom  you  see  were  once  your  ships, 
the  ships  which  you  built  with  the  pines  of 
Mount  Ida.  Turnus  was  going  to  burn  us 
with  fire,  and  Jupiter  changed  us  into  nymphs 
as  you  see.  Know  that  your  son  and  your 
people  are  besieged  in  the  camp.  Put  on 
the  armour  that  the  Fire-god  made  for  you, 
and  hasten  to  help  them."  When  she  had 
said  this,  she  put  her  hand  under  the  keel 
of  the  ship,  and  pushed  it  on;  and  her 
companions  did  the  same  to  the  other  ships. 
Quickly  did  they  pass  through  the  water, 
and  when  the  day  began  to  break  they  were 
at  their  journey's  end. 

Then    iEneas    passed    the    word    along    the 
fleet,    that    every    one    should    make    himself 

232 


THE    BATTLE    ON   THE    SHORE 

ready  for  battle.  He  himself  stood  up  on 
the  stern  of  his  ship,  and  lifted  his  shield 
in  his  left  hand.  Brightly  did  it  flash  in 
the  sunshine,  and  all  the  Trojans  in  the 
camp  saw  it  and  were  glad,  for  now,  they 
knew,  their  chief  had  come  back  to  them. 
Turnus  also  and  his  men  saw  it,  and  were 
much  astonished.  For  the  sea  was  covered 
with  ships,  and  iEneas  was  in  the  midst  of 
them,  and  from  his  helmet  and  from  his 
shield  there  shone  a  terrible  light,  like  the 
light  of  a  comet  when  it  flares  in  the  sky 
at  midnight.  Nevertheless,  Turnus  did  not 
lose  courage  for  a  moment.  He  said  to  his 
men:  ''Now  you  have  what  you  wished  for. 
Your  enemies  do  not  hide  themselves  behind 
walls,  but  are  come  to  meet  you  face  to 
face.  Think  now  of  your  wives  and  chil- 
dren, and  fight  for  them,  to  keep  them  from 
these  robbers.  And  remember  the  great 
deeds  which  your  fathers  did  in  the  old  time. 
And  now  let  us  make  haste,  and  fight  with 
these  men  before  they  can  get  firm  footing 
on  land."  So,  leaving  some  of  his  people  to 
watch  the  camp,  he  made  all  the  haste  that 
he  could  to  keep  the  enemy  from  landing. 

253 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

But  this  he  could  not  do.  Some  of  them 
had  already  made  their  way  to  the  shore, 
some  on  planks  from  the  ship's  side  and 
some  jumping  into  the  sea,  where  the  waves 
had  broken  and  the  water  was  flowing  back, 
and  some  running  along  the  oars.  As  for 
Tarchon,  he  spied  a  place  where  the  sea 
was  calm,  and  told  his  men  to  run  the 
ships  upon  the  beach.  This  they  did.  Only 
Tarchon's  own  ship  was  driven  on  a  ridge 
of  rock,  and  he  and  all  his  companions  were 
thrown  out  into  the  sea.  Still,  at  last,  they  all 
got  safe  on  shore. 

iEneas  did  many  valiant  deeds.  Theron 
he  slew,  who  was  the  tallest  man  in  all 
the  army  of  Turnus.  The  tallest  he  was, 
and  he  wore  a  heavier  and  stronger  coat 
of  mail  than  any  other  man,  but  ^Eneas 
drove  his  spear  through  it.  Then  he  slew 
the  two  sons  of  Melampus,  who  was  the 
companion  of  Hercules.  They,  too,  were 
giants  among  men;  one  might  have  thought 
that  each  was  a  second  Hercules,  for  they 
fought  with  clubs,  but  they  could  not  stand 
against  iEneas.  Then  seven  warriors,  sons 
of  one  man,  came  against  him.    They  threw 

234 


THE    BATTLE    ON   THE    SHORE 

seven  spears  at  him  at  once.  Some  of 
them  he  caught  upon  his  shield,  and  some 
almost  grazed  his  body,  but  he  was  not 
hurt  by  any.  He  cried  to  Achates:  "Give 
me  spears  enough:  that  which  was  good 
enough  for  the  killing  of  a  Greek,  is  surely 
good  enough  for  a  man  of  Italy/'  And 
two  of  the  seven  he  killed.  Many  others 
fell  dead  to  the  ground  both  on  this  side 
and  on  that:  neither  would  give  way; 
now  a  man  of  Italy  was  slain,  and  now  a 
Trojan,  for  they  stood  man  against  man, 
and  which  was  the  bravest  no  one  could  say. 
In  another  part  of  the  field  Pallas  and 
his  Arcadians  were  fighting.  The  Arcadians 
had  been  used  to  fight  on  horseback,  but 
now  they  were  on  foot,  for  they  could  not 
bring  their  horses  with  them  in  the  ships. 
When  Pallas  saw  that  they  fled  before  the 
enemy,  as  men  will  do  when  they  have  to 
fight  in  a  way  which  they  do  not  know, 
he  cried:  **Now,  by  the  name  of  your  king, 
Evander,  stand  firm!  Stand,  I  beseech,  if 
you  love  me!  How  shall  I  show  myself 
worthy  of  my  father,  if  you  are  not  with 
me     and     help     me?     These     are     but     men 

235 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

whom  you  see:  you  fly  before  them  as  i! 
they  were  gods.  Follow  me,  and  I  will 
show  you  where  you  can  win  the  most 
renown."  So  saying,  he  rushed  into  the 
thickest  of  the  fight,  and  his  people  fol- 
lowed him.  The  first  that  he  killed  was 
one  Lagus.  As  the  man  was  lifting  a  great 
stone  from  the  ground,  he  ran  him  through 
with  his  spear.  Then  while  he  tugged  at 
the  spear  to  draw  it  out,  another  of  the 
Latins  thought  to  slay  him.  But  Pallas 
turned,  so  nimble  was  he  and  so  ready, 
and  struck  him  full  in  the  breast  with 
his  sword,  so  that  he  fell  dead  upon  the 
ground.  Then  there  met  him  two  twin 
brothers;  so  like  they  were  that  neither 
father  nor  mother  knew  one  from  the  other. 
But  Pallas  made  a  cruel  diff^erence,  cutting 
off  the  head  of  the  one  and  the  right  hand 
of    the    other. 

And  now  the  nymph  Juturna  —  she  was 
sister  to  Turnus  —  hastened  to  her  brother, 
and  told  him  what  havoc  Pallas  was  making 
among  the  Latins.  At  once  he  left  the 
place  where  he  was  fighting.  As  he  drove 
his    chariot   through   the    ranks   of  his    army, 

236 


THE    BATTLE    ON   THE    SHORE 

he  cried:  "Leave  Pallas  to  me;  he  is 
mine:  let  no  one  presume  to  meddle  with 
him."  Pallas  heard  him  speak,  and  looked 
at  him,  admiring  him,  so  proudly  did  he 
bear  himself,  and  so  noble  was  his  look. 
"This  is  one  worth  fighting  with,"  he  said. 
"I  shall  either  win  spoils  that  will  make 
me  famous  for  ever,  or  shall  die  with 
honour."  Then  he  rushed  forward  to  meet 
the  enemy;  but  his  Arcadians  stood  cold 
with  fear.  Then  Turnus  leapt  down  from 
his  chariot:  he  would  meet  this  bold  youth 
on  equal  terms.  Pallas,  before  he  threw 
his  spear,  breathed  a  prayer  to  Hercules: 
"O  mighty  hero,  if  you  remember  the 
house  where  of  old  you  were  a  guest,  help 
me  to-day.  May  be  I  am  overbold,  to  meet  so 
great  a  chief:  yet,  if  it  may  be,  help  me  to 
lay  that  proud  warrior  level  with  the  ground 
and  to  spoil  him  of  his  arms."  Hercules 
heard  the  prayer,  where  he  sat  on  his 
throne  in  heaven;  and  it  grieved  him  to 
the  heart  that  he  could  not  help.  Then 
Jupiter  said:  "My  son,  the  days  of  man 
are  but  short,  and  each  has  his  appointed 
time.      But   the   brave   man   lives   after   death 

237 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

by  the  praise  which  men  give  to  noble 
deeds.  This  youth  must  die,  but  he  shall 
not  be  forgotten.  And  for  Turnus,  too,  the 
day  of  death  is  near." 

Then  the  two  champions  met.  First  Pallas 
threw  his  spear.  With  all  his  might  he 
threw  it.  It  pierced  the  shield  of  Turnus; 
it  pierced  his  coat  of  mail;  it  grazed  the 
skin  of  his  shoulder.  And  Turnus  stood 
awhile,  balancing  his  spear.  Then  saying, 
**This,  I  think,  will  do  better  work,"  he 
threw  it,  and  with  a  better  aim.  It  pierced 
the  shield,  the  stout  bull's  hide  and  the  iron, 
and  the  coat  of  mail,  and  struck  Pallas  full 
on  the  breast.  From  breast  to  back  it  passed, 
and  in  a  moment  he  fell  dead  upon  the  plain. 
Then  Turnus  stood  over  the  dead  man,  and 
said:  "Men  of  Arcadia,  take  this  message 
to  your  king.  I  send  him  back  his  Pallas. 
Let  him  bury  his  son  with  all  honour  —  that 
I  do  not  grudge  him;  but  it  has  cost  him 
dear  that  he  had  iEneas  as  his  guest."  So 
saying,  he  put  his  foot  upon  the  body,  and 
dragged  from  it  the  belt,  a  wonderful  work 
heavy  with  figures  wrought  in  gold.  Before 
many   days   had    passed,   he   would  wish   that 

238 


I 


THE    BATTLE    ON   THE    SHORE 

he  had  never  taken  it.  Then  the  Arcadians 
Hfted  up  the  body  of  their  young  chief,  and 
laid  it  on  the  shield,  and  carried  it  out  of 
the  battle. 

When  iEneas  knew  that  Pallas  had  been 
slain,  and  that  his  people  were  being  beaten 
in  the  battle,  he  made  all  the  haste  he  could 
to  help  them.  Many  of  the  enemy  he  killed, 
nor  would  he  have  any  mercy  if  any  of 
those  whom  he  overcame  begged  for  his  life. 
**No,"  he  cried;  ''now  that  Pallas  is  dead, 
I  will  spare  no  one."  So  it  was  when  two 
brothers,  who  were  riding  in  one  chariot, 
met  him.  At  first  they  were  very  bold, 
and  boasted  that  they  would  kill  him.  The 
one  who  was  driving  the  horses  shouted  out: 
"In  the  old  time,  when  the  Greeks  fought 
against  Troy,  you  escaped.  You  escaped 
from  Diomed  and  from  Achilles.  But  you 
shall  not  escape  from  us.  The  end  of  your 
battles  and  of  your  life  is  come."  Not  a 
word  did  iEneas  speak,  but,  before  the  boaster 
was  ready  to  fight,  he  threw  his  mighty 
spear.  Through  the  Italian's  shield  it  passed, 
and  pierced  his  thigh,  so  that  he  fell  dying 
from    the    chariot.      ''How    is    this?"     cried 

239 


^NEID   FOR   BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

^neas,  mocking  him  —  "your  horses  arc 
swift;  they  do  not  shy  at  shadows;  they 
are  better  than  the  horses  of  Diomed  or  of 
Achilles:  why  do  you  leave  them?'*  Then 
he  caught  the  horses  by  the  head,  and  the 
brother  that  was  left,  cried  out:  **Have 
pity  on  me;  as  you  love  father  and  mother, 
spare  me."  But  iEneas,  mocking  still,  an- 
swered: "Nay,  nay,  you  would  not,  surely, 
leave  your  brother/'  And  he  drove  his 
sword  into  his  breast. 

When  Juno  saw  that  ^neas  was  driving 
the  Latins  before  him,  and  that  no  one  could 
stand  up  against  him,  she  said  to  herself: 
"This  is  the  man's  day  of  victory;  if  he 
meets  my  Turnus,  when  he  is  in  this  mood, 
he  will  surely  conquer  him."  So  she  made 
an  image  of  ^Eneas  which  seemed  to  challenge 
Turnus  to  battle.  And  when  Turnus  made 
himself  ready  then  the  false  ^Eneas  fled,  and 
Turnus  followed  him.  To  the  sea-shore  he 
fled;  here  there  was  a  ship  in  which  a 
certain  king  had  come  to  the  war,  and  the 
false  iEneas  seemed  to  hide  himself  in  it. 
Turnus,  who  was  close  behind,  came  after, 
but  when  he  searched  he  could  find  no  one. 

240 


THE    BATTLE    ON   THE    SHORE 

While  he  was  looking,  Juno  cut  the  cable 
of  the  ship,  and  pushed  it  out  to  sea,  so 
that  when  Turnus  looked,  the  water  was 
round  him  on  every  side.  Never  was  man 
more  troubled  and  ashamed:  '*0  Jupiter!" 
he  said,  **what  have  I  done  that  I  should 
be  so  disgraced  ?  What  will  the  Latins 
think  of  me  when  they  see  that  I  have 
fled  in  this  manner?  How  I  wish  that  the 
waves  would  swallow  me  up,  or  that  the 
winds  would  drive  me  to  some  place  where 
no  one  would  ever  see  me  again!"  Three 
times  did  he  try  to  throw  himself  into  the 
sea;  three  times  would  he  have  run  himself 
through  with  his  sword.  But  Juno  would 
not  suffer  it,  and  so  brought  him  safely  to 
the  city  of  his  father.  King  Daunus. 

And  now  King  Mezentius  came  to  help 
the  Latins.  Wicked  as  he  was,  there  was 
no  braver  man  or  better  fighter  in  the  land. 
Neither  the  Trojans  nor  the  Tuscans  could 
stand  up  against  him.  He  slew  Mimas,  a 
Trojan,  who  was  of  the  same  age  as  Prince 
Paris,  and  Actor,  who,  though  he  was  a 
Greek,  had  come  to  fight  for  ^Eneas.  From 
his  own  land  he  had  come,  leaving  behind 
Q  241 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

him  his  promised  wife,  whose  favour  he  wore 
in  his  helmet.  Orodes  also  he  killed,  the 
tallest  man  in  the  army  of  iEneas.  Orodes 
cried,  as  he  lay  dying,  "Whoever  you 
are,  your  end  is  near;  you  shall  die  as  I 
am  dying;  your  grave  is  ready  for  you  in 
this  land."  But  the  king  laughed,  for  he 
was  one  who  neither  feared  god  nor  regarded 
man. 

But  now  iEneas  saw  the  king,  and  made 
haste  to  meet  him,  and  the  king,  on  the 
other  hand,  did  not  draw  back.  ''Let  others 
pray  to  the  gods,"  he  said:  "my  gods  are 
my  right  hand  and  my  spear."  And  he 
threw  his  spear:  it  struck  the  shield  of 
iEneas,  but  it  could  not  pierce  it,  so  strong 
was  it  —  was  it  not  made  by  the  Fire-god 
himself?  Yet  it  was  not  thrown  in  vain. 
Glancing  from  the  shield,  it  struck  one  of 
the  Arcadians  in  the  side.  The  man  had 
been  a  comrade  of  Hercules,  and  now  fol- 
lowed King  Evander.  Then  ^Eneas  threw 
his  spear.  It  broke  the  shield  of  Mezentius, 
and  wounded  him  in  the  groin,  but  not 
to  death.  And  yet  without  doubt  the  king 
would  have  died  that  hour,   for  ^Eneas  drew 

242 


THE    BATTLE    ON   THE    SHORE 

his  sword,  and  pressed  him  hard,  and  he 
could  scarcely  move  for  the  spear  in  his 
side.  But  when  Lausus,  his  son,  saw  in  what 
a  strait  his  father  was,  he  leapt  forward, 
and  took  the  blow  of  the  sword  upon  his 
shield.  And  his  companions  followed  him, 
with  a  great  shout,  and  threw  their  spears 
at  iEneas,  and  kept  him  back  by  force.  He 
would  not  fly,  but  neither  could  he  advance. 
Under  the  shower  of  spears  he  stood,  as  a 
traveller  stands  when  a  storm  falls  upon 
him  in  the  road.  Nevertheless  his  heart 
was  moved  when  he  saw  how  Lausus  came 
to  the  help  of  his  father  —  he  also  had  helped 
his  father  in  old  time.  Gladly  would  he 
have  spared  the  young  man;  and  he  cried 
to  Lausus :  ''  Madman,  what  do  you  want  ? 
To  conquer  me .?  Nay :  that  is  too  much 
for  your  strength."  But  Lausus  gave  him 
no  heed,  but  still  pressed  on.  Then  iEneas 
grew  angry,  and  the  time  was  come  for 
Lausus  when  he  must  die.  One  blow  with 
his  sword  did  iEneas  give  him.  It  cut  the 
shield  in  two,  and  broke  through  the  coat 
of  mail,  and  laid  him  dead  upon  the  plain, 
^neas  was  sorry  to  see  him  lie  dead:    ''What 

243 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

can  I  do  for  you,  noble  boy?"  he  said.  "You 
had  a  great  pleasure  in  your  arms:  keep 
them:  I  will  not  take  them;  your  father, 
also,  shall  have  your  body  to  bury  as  he 
will.  It  is  something,  too,  that  you  were 
killed  by  .^neas."  So  he  lifted  the  boy 
from  the  ground,  and  told  his  comrades  to 
carry  him  away. 

Meanwhile  his  father  sat  by  a  tree  on 
the  bank  of  the  river,  while  his  people 
looked  to  the  wound.  He  had  hung  his 
helmet  on  a  branch,  and  his  arms  lay  upon 
the  ground.  Once  and  again  he  asked  about 
Lausus;  and  he  sent  a  message  to  him  that 
he  should  come  back.  And  now^  his  com- 
rades came,  carrying  the  body  on  a  shield. 
The  king  saw  it  while  it  was  yet  a  long 
way  off,  and  he  knew  what  it  was,  and  took 
the  dust  from  the  earth,  and  threw  it  upon 
his  white  hair.  '*Oh!  my  son,"  he  cried, 
*'why  did  I  wish  so  much  to  live  that  I 
let  you  meet  the  sword  of  the  enemy  in 
my  place  ?  Is  it  indeed  true  that  you  are 
dead  and  I  am  still  alive  ?  Ah !  my  son, 
now  I  know  that  my  evil  deeds  were  a 
shame    to    you!      Oh    that    I    had    died    for 

244 


THE    BATTLE    ON   THE    SHORE 

you,  and  not  you  for  me!  Now  I  must 
die,  but  not  yet:  there  is  something  that  I 
would  first  do,  if  indeed  the  gods  permit  — 
I  would  avenge  my  son." 

Then  he  said:  ** Fetch  me  my  horse." 
This  horse  was  his  pride  and  joy.  From 
many  a  battle  it  had  brought  him  back  a 
conqueror.  Very  sad  was  the  beast  as  it 
came,  and  the  great  tears  rolled  down  its 
cheeks.  And  the  king  said:  ''O  Rhcebus, 
you  and  I  have  lived  long  enough,  if  any- 
thing be  for  long  in  this  world.  To-day 
you  shall  bring  back  the  head  and  arms  of 
^neas,  and  we  will  have  vengeance  together 
for  our  Lausus;  or  you  shall  die  with  me. 
For  a  Trojan  master  you  would  never,  I 
know,  endure." 

So  he  mounted  upon  his  horse,  and  took 
a  spear  in  either  hand,  and  rode  to  meet 
iEneas.  Three  times  he  called  out:  "I  am 
coming,  ^Eneas!"  And  .Eneas  was  glad,  and 
cried  out:  "Are  you  coming,  indeed?  The 
gods  be  thanked  therefor.  And  now  begin." 
Mezentius  answered:  ''Do  not  try  to  frighten 
me;  I  can  suffer  nothing  more,  now  that  my 
son   is   dead.      No:    I    am   come   to   die;   but 

245 


^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

first  here  is  my  gift;  take  it."  And  he 
threw  his  spear.  Spear  after  spear  he  threw, 
but  they  could  not  break  the  mighty  shield. 
And  iEneas  stood  still,  watching  his  time. 
At  the  last,  he  stepped  from  out  the  shelter 
of  the  shield,  and  threw  his  spear.  It  struck 
the  king's  horse  full  on  the  head,  between 
the  temples.  And  the  horse  reared,  and 
lashed  the  air  with  his  front  feet,  and  fell 
with  his  rider  beneath  him.  Loud  did  the 
Trojans  and  the  Latins  shout  when  they  saw 
It,  those  for  joy  and  these  for  fear.  Then 
iEneas  ran,  and  stood  over  him,  with  his 
sword  drawn  in  his  hand:  ''Where  is  the 
great  Mezentius  now?"  he  said.  And  the 
king  answered:  ''Have  done  with  your 
threats;  slay  me;  I  do  not  blame  you.  I 
never  bargained  with  you  for  my  life,  nor 
did  Lausus,  my  son,  when  he  died  for  me. 
Only  grant  me  this.  You  know  that  my 
people  hate  me.  Keep  my  body  from  them, 
and  let  my  son  be  buried  with  me  in  one 
grave."  So  he  yielded  his  throat  to  the 
sword,  and  feared  not. 


246 


CHAPTER   XIX 
THE   COUNCIL 


CHAPTER   XIX 

THE    COUNCIL 

The  next  day  ^Eneas  made  a  great  oflfering 
to  Mars,  the  god  of  war.  He  took  a  young 
oak  tree,  and  lopped  off  all  the  boughs, 
and  set  it  on  the  top  of  a  mound.  On  this 
he  hung  the  arms  of  King  Mezentius,  the 
helmet  with  its  crest  red  with  blood,  and 
the  spears  with  their  heads  broken  off,  and 
the  coat  of  mail  pierced  in  twelve  places. 
On  the  left  one  branch  remained;  on  this 
he  hung  the  shield,  and  on  the  trunk  itself 
he  hung  by  its  belt  the  sword  with  its 
ivory  hilt.  This  done,  he  called  the  chiefs 
about  him,  and  said:  "We  have  done  much: 
this  is  all  that  is  left  of  the  great  Mezentius. 
But  there  is  more  to  do.  Let  us  go  against 
the  city  of  King  Latinus.  This  will  we  do 
to-morrow.  But  now  let  us  pay  due  honour 
to  the  dead.  We  owe  very  much  to  them; 
for  have  they  not  bought  a  country  for  us 
with  their  own  blood  ?      And  first  among  the 

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iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

dead  is  Pallas.  His  body  we  will  send  back 
to  his  father." 

So  he  went  to  the  tent  where  the  body 
had  been  laid.  Old  Acoetes,  who  had  been 
armour-bearer  to  King  Evander,  sat  watching 
by  the  head,  and  the  Trojan  women  sat  on 
the  ground,  and  wailed  and  wept.  And  when 
iEneas  saw  the  head  lying  as  if  in  sleep,  and 
the  great  wound  in  the  breast,  he  wept. 
When  he  could  speak,  he  said:  "Surely  I 
hoped  that  you  would  see  me  established  in 
my  kingdom,  and  go  back  with  gifts  and 
honour  to  your  father.  But  this  was  not 
to  be.  And  he  may  be  even  now  praying 
for  your  safe  return.  Well,  at  least  he  will 
see  that  you  bear  your  wound  in  front. 
But,  O  Italy!  what  a  son  dost  thou  lose; 
and  you,  Ascanius,  what  a  friend!" 

So  they  made  a  bier  of  arbutus  and  oak, 
and  laid  the  body  on  it,  covered  with  branches 
of  trees.  Like  a  flower  it  lay  —  a  violet  or 
a  hyacinth  which  some  girl  has  picked. 
It  has  colour  and  beauty  still,  but  it  must 
fade,  for  the  earth  does  not  nourish  it  any 
more,  ^neas  wrapped  one  purple  robe  woven 
with    threads    of   gold    round    the    body,    and 

250 


THE   COUNCIL 

another  round  the  head.  Some  carried  the 
arms  which  Pallas  had  won  in  battle;  another 
carried  his  helmet  and  shield  —  the  other 
arms  Turnus  had  taken;  and  yet  another 
led  his  charger.  It  walked  with  its  head 
to  the  ground,  and  the  great  tears  rolled 
down  its  cheeks.  Behind  these,  again,  fol- 
lowed the  whole  company,  Trojans  and 
Tuscans,  whom  ^Eneas  sent  to  follow  the 
dead.  They  walked  holding  their  swords 
and  shields  with  their  points  to  the  ground. 
iEneas  said:  "The  cares  and  sorrows  of  war 
call  me:  good-bye,  my  Pallas,  good-bye  for 
ever!" 

And  now  there  came  ambassadors  from 
the  city  with  crowns  of  olive  on  their  heads, 
praying  for  truce,  that  they  might  bury  the 
dead.  ^Eneas  answered:  ''You  ask  for  peace 
for  the  dead:  I  would  gladly  give  it  to  the 
living.  I  have  come  to  this  land  by  the 
will  of  the  gods.  Once  your  King  was 
glad  to  see  me;  if  now  he  has  changed  and 
would  have  Turnus  for  his  friend,  the  fault 
is  not  mine.  If  Turnus  is  not  pleased, 
let  him  come  forth,  and  meet  me  in  fight, 
man   to   man.      When   he   will,   I   am   ready. 

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iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

But  now  let  there  be  truce:  bury  your 
dead/' 

So  a  truce  was  made  for  twelve  days. 
And  the  Trojans  and  the  Latins  went  up 
into  the  woods  which  were  upon  the  hills, 
and  worked  side  by  side,  cutting  down  trees 
—  cedars  and  pines  and  mountain  ashes.  The 
Trojans  built  up  great  piles  of  wood  upon 
the  sea-shore,  and  laid  on  them  the  bodies 
of  their  comrades  who  had  been  killed,  and 
on  the  bodies  they  put  the  arms  which  they 
had  borne  in  life.  The  Latins  did  the  same; 
only  they  built  the  piles  near  to  the  city. 
While  they  were  doing  this,  those  who  had 
been  chosen  to  carry  the  body  of  Pallas  took 
it  to  the  city  of  Evander,  and  there  a  great 
mourning  was  made  for  him. 

When  the  burning  of  the  dead  was  finished, 
there  was  a  great  tumult  in  the  city.  Many 
had  lost  husbands,  and  many  sons,  and  many 
brothers.  All  these  cried  out  against  the 
war:  *'It  is  an  evil  war,"  they  said;  *'why 
should  we  suffer  because  Turnus  wishes  to 
marry  the  king's  daughter?  Why  does  he 
not  fight  for  her  with  ^Eneas,  man  to  man, 
and    so    make    an    end    of    these    troubles?" 

252 


THE   COUNCIL 

While  they  were  saying  these  things  the 
ambassadors  who  had  been  sent  to  King 
Diomed,  to  ask  for  his  help,  came  back. 
And  this  was  the  story  which  they  told, 
when  King  Latinus  had  called  the  chiefs  to- 
gether, and  bade  them  speak:  ''We  came 
to  Arpi,  to  the  city  of  King  Diomed.  The 
man  received  us,  and  asked  us  why  we  had 
come  and  what  we  wanted.  And  when  we 
told  him  that  we  wanted  him  to  help  us 
against  iEneas  and  the  Trojans,  he  said: 
*Men  of  Italy,  why  do  you  fight  against 
the  gods  ?  Do  you  not  know  that  all  of 
us  who  fought  against  Troy  have  suffered 
many  things  ?  Ajax  was  struck  by  a  thunder- 
bolt, and  Menelaijs  was  driven  to  the  end 
of  the  earth,  and  Ulysses  lost  all  his  comrades 
and  was  left  alone,  and  Agamemnon  was 
murdered  in  his  own  home!  And  you  see 
how  I  am  an  exile  here,  for  I  never  saw 
wife  or  home  again.  Fight  no  more  against 
the  men  of  Troy.  You  have  brought  gifts 
for  me;  take  them  back,  and  give  them 
to  iEneas.  I  have  fought  with  him,  and 
know  what  he  is,  with  what  strength  he 
rises   to   the    stroke    of   his    sword    and    casts 

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iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

his  spear.  I  tell  you  this:  if  there  had 
been  in  the  army  of  Troy  two  others  as 
good  as  he,  the  Trojans  would  have  come 
to  the  very  gates  of  Argos,  and  Greece 
would  have  suffered  what  she  wrought. 
These  two  men,  Hector  and  iEneas,  bore  up 
against  us  for  ten  years,  and  ^Eneas  is  the 
dearer  to  the  gods,  ay,  and  he  is  a  goddess' 
son.  Make  peace  with  him  while  you  may.'" 
So  spoke  the  chief  of  the  ambassadors, 
and  sat  down;  and  there  was  a  murmur  in 
the  council,  some  saying  one  thing  and  some 
another.  Then  King  Latinus  stood  up  and 
spoke:  ''This  is  not  a  good  time  for  taking 
counsel;  the  enemy  is  outside  our  walls. 
Yet  hear  my  sentence.  King  Diomed  will 
not  help  us,  and  you  know  that  twice  we 
have  been  beaten  in  battle.  We  will  offer 
peace.  If  these  Trojans  wish  to  stay  in 
this  land,  they  shall  have  my  kingdom.  If 
they  choose  to  depart,  we  will  build  ships 
for  them  as  many  as  they  want.  And  now 
we  will  send  ambassadors  with  gifts  —  gold, 
and  ivory,  and  royal  robes,  and  a  throne 
such  as  a  king  might  sit  on.  And  iEneas 
shall  choose  whether   he  will  go  or  stay." 

254 


THE   COUNCIL 

Then  stood  up  Drances.  He  was  but 
feeble  in  fight,  but  he  was  a  great  speaker 
and  wise  in  counsel.  "You  do  well,  O 
King,  to  offer  peace.  But  there  is  yet 
something  else;  all  men  know  what  it  is, 
but  they  dare  not  say  it.  Turnus  is  the  man 
whose  pride  and  self-will  are  bringing  us  to 
ruin.  It  is  he  who  does  not  suffer  us  to 
speak  the  truth.  But  I  will  speak  it  though 
I  die  for  it.  Give  ^Eneas  these  gifts  of  yours, 
but  add  to  them  another.  Give  him  your 
daughter,  and  make  peace  sure  for  ever. 
And  you,  Turnus,  yield  this  thing.  We 
beg  it  of  you  —  I,  whom  you  count  your 
enemy,  yes,  I  beg  it  of  you.  But  if  you 
will  not,  if  your  heart  is  still  hard,  if  you 
put  a  royal  wife  before  your  country's  good, 
then  at  the  least  do  this.  Do  not  call  on 
us  to  die  for  you  and  your  marriage;  meet 
^neas  face  to  face." 

Then  Turnus  sprang  up  from  his  place 
in  a  mighty  rage.  "You  are  always  full 
of  words,  O  Drances;  when  the  senators  are 
called  together,  you  are  always  the  first  to 
come  and  the  first  to  speak.  But  what  have 
you     done     in     battle?       Come,     show    your 

255 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

courage  now.  The  enemy  is  close  at  hand. 
Let  us  go  and  meet  him.  You  hang  back, 
and  yet  you  doubt  my  courage !  Have  you 
not  heard  of  Pallas  whom  I  slew,  and  of 
the  two  brothers  who  kept  the  Trojans'  gate, 
and  of  all  whom  I  laid  low  when  they  shut 
me  within  their  walls?  And  now,  let  me 
say  a  word  to  you,  my  king  and  father. 
If  you  think  that  it  is  enough  to  have  been 
once  defeated,  if  you  have  no  hope  that 
fortune  may  yet  change  —  be  it  so :  let  us 
pray  for  peace.  Happy  the  man  —  that  is 
all  that  I  can  say  —  who  shall  have  died  before 
seeing  such  foul  disgrace.  But  if  we  have 
some  strength  still  left  to  us;  if  there  are 
cities  and  nations  who  yet  will  help  us;  if 
these  Trojans  have  bought  their  victory  dear, 
why  do  we  lose  courage  ?  Why  do  we  faint 
before  the  trumpet-sound  ?  Diomed  will  not 
help  us;  but  there  are  princes  of  Italy  as 
good  as  he  who  will  fight  for  us.  Even 
now  the  great  Camilla,  with  her  maiden 
warriors,  is  at  hand.  And  for  myself — if  it 
please  you  that  I  should  fight,  hand  to  hand, 
with  this  man,  let  it  be  so;  I  do  not  refuse. 
Let  him  be  the  son  of  a  goddess,  and  wear 

256 


THE    COUNCIL 

the  arms  which  a  god  has  made,  I  am  ready; 
my  Hfe  is  for  my  country  and  my  king." 

And  now,  while  they  were  still  speaking, 
there  came  a  messenger  with  the  news  that 
the  Trojans  were  marching  from  their  camp. 
Great  was  the  uproar.  Some  cried  out  for 
arms,  and  some  cried  out  for  peace.  As 
for  Turnus,  he  shouted:  "Call  your  councils, 
and  talk  of  peace  if  you  will.  The  enemy 
is  at  the  gates,  and  I  go  to  meet  him." 
And  he  rushed  out  of  the  senate-house. 


257 


J 


CHAPTER  XX 
THE   DEEDS   AND   DEATH   OF   CAMILLA 


i 


CHAPTER   XX 

THE   DEEDS    AND    DEATH    OF   CAMILLA 

TuRNUs  gave  to  all  his  people  the  work  that 
they  should  do.  Some  should  strengthen 
the  walls  and  the  gates  of  the  city,  and 
some  should  make  the  trench  deeper,  and 
some  should  follow  him  into  battle.  Such 
as  were  neither  strong  nor  brave  could  at 
least  gather  a  store  of  stones  and  stakes. 
While  the  men  were  busy  with  these 
things,  the  women,  with  the  queen  and 
her  daughter  leading  them,  went  to 
the  Temple  of  Juno  and  prayed  for  help. 
** Break,''  said  the  queen,  "the  spear  of 
this  Phrygian  robber,  and  lay  him  low 
before   the    city." 

When  Turnus  had  given  his  orders,  he 
armed  himself,  and  ran  down  from  the  cita- 
del. At  the  gate  there  met  him  Camilla 
with  her  maidens,  riding  on  horses,  and 
armed,  all  of  them,  for  battle.  She  said 
to  him:    "Turnus,  stay  you  here  and  defend 

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iENEID   FOR   BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

the  city.  I  and  my  maidens  will  meet  the 
Trojans  and  the  Tuscans/'  Turnus  an- 
swered: "'That  is  well  said,  lady.  I  can 
never  thank  you  enough  for  the  help  you 
give  me.  But  as  for  the  city,  it  is  safe 
enough.  I  and  my  men  will  lie  in  ambush 
in  the  valley  by  which  this  JEneas  will 
approach  the  city.  Do  you  meet  the 
enemy  in  front,  and  I,  when  the  time  shall 
come,  will  charge  them  from  the  side.'' 

Now  the  story  of  Camilla  is  this.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  a  certain  king,  Metabus 
by  name,  who  was  driven  out  of  his  king- 
dom by  his  subjects  on  account  of  his 
cruelty.  He  fled  for  his  life,  taking  with 
him  his  little  daughter,  whom  he  carried 
in  his  arms.  He  came  in  his  flight  to  a 
certain  river,  and  the  river  was  swollen 
with  rain,  so  that  it  ran  high  and  strong. 
The  man  could  not  swim  with  the  child 
in  his  arms,  and  his  enemies  were  close 
behind,  so  he  took  the  spear  that  he  carried 
on  his  back,  and  bound  the  child  to  it  with 
strips  of  bark,  and  made  ready  to  throw  it. 
As  he  balanced  it  in  his  hand,  he  prayed 
to  Diana,  saying:  "O  Goddess!    I  give  thee 

262 


DEEDS  AND  DEATH  OF  CAMILLA 

this  child  to  be  thy  servant  for  ever,  if  thou 
wilt  save  her  now."  Then  he  cast  the  spear 
across  the  river  with  all  his  might,  and, 
Diana  giving  strength  to  his  arm,  it  fell 
on  the  other  side.  Then  he  himself  leapt 
into  the  water,  and,  swimming  across,  so 
escaped  from  his  enemies.  After  this  he 
never  lived  in  house  or  town,  but  with 
the  shepherds  on  the  hills,  and  the  child  he 
fed  with  mare's  milk  and  the  like  things. 
As  soon  as  she  could  walk  he  gave  her  a 
little  javelin  to  carry,  and  when  she  was  a 
little  stronger,  a  bow  and  arrows.  She  wore 
no  gold  or  jewels,  nor  had  she  long  skirts 
like  a  girl.  From  a  child  she  could  sling 
a  stone  in  a  wonderful  way,  hitting  the 
cranes  and  the  wild  swans  as  they  flew  high 
in  the  air.  Tall  and  strong  and  beautiful 
was  she  when  she  grew  up,  and  many 
Tuscan  mothers  desired  to  have  her  for  a 
daughter-in-law,  but  she  had  no  thought  of 
marriage,  only  of  hunting  and  fighting. 

The  goddess  Diana,  as  she  sat  in  heaven, 
said  to  Opis,  who  was  chief  of  the  nymphs 
who  waited  on  her:  ''Opis,  Camilla  goes 
to   fight   in   this   war.      Would   that   she   had 

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^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

not  thought  of  it!  There  is  not  a  girl  in 
Italy  that  I  love  more,  and  have  loved  ever 
since  she  was  a  child.  But  her  fate  is  on 
her,  and  she  must  die.  Now  I  give  you 
this  charge.  Go  down  to  the  Latin  land, 
where  they  are  beginning  just  now  this 
evil  war;  take  with  you  your  bow  and 
your  arrows,  and  see  that  any  man  who 
harms  her  shall  himself  be  slain.  And  when 
she  is  dead  no  man  shall  spoil  her  of  her 
arms;  but  I  will  carry  back  her  body  to 
her  native  land." 

And  now  iEneas  and  the  Trojans  cam.e 
towards  the  city,  the  horsemen  being  in 
front.  One  of  these,  a  Tuscan,  was  the  first 
to  kill  his  man.  He  charged  against  a  Latin 
chief,  and  drove  him  from  his  horse,  making 
him  fly  through  the  air,  as  a  stone  flies  from 
an  engine.  When  the  Latins  saw  him,  they 
turned  and  fled.  And  the  Trojans  and  Tus- 
cans followed  them.  But  when  they  came 
near  the  city,  then  those  that  stood  upon 
the  walls,  the  old  men  and  the  boys  and  the 
women,  threw  sticks  and  stones  at  them,  and 
the  soldiers  took  courage  and  faced  about. 
Then    the    Trojans,    in    their   turn,    fled,    and 

264 


DEEDS  AND  DEATH  OF  CAMILLA 

the  Latins  pursued  them.  So  it  happened 
twice.  But  when  they  met  for  the  third 
time,  then  neither  would  the  one  side  nor 
the  other  give  way.  Both  of  them  stood 
firm,  and  there  was  a  great  slaughter.  Many 
did  valiantly,  but  none  was  equal  to  Camilla. 
Sometimes  she  would  fight  with  a  battle-axe 
and  sometimes  with  her  bow  and  arrows. 
Never  did  she  strike  a  man  with  her  battle- 
axe  but  she  laid  him  low  upon  the  earth; 
never  did  she  aim  an  arrow  at  a  man,  but 
she  killed  him.  One  of  these  was  the 
hunter  Ornytus,  who  was  the  tallest  of  the 
Tuscans.  He  had  a  wolfs  head  with  great 
white  teeth  for  helmet,  and  in  his  hand 
he  carried  a  hunting  spear.  But  strong  as 
he  was,  Camilla  overcame  him,  and  as  he 
lay  dying  on  the  ground  she  mocked  him: 
"Did  you  think,  O  Tuscan,  that  you  were 
hunting  wild  beasts  to-day?  Lo!  a  woman's 
arms  have  brought  all  your  boasts  to 
nothing."  So  she  raged  through  the  field, 
slaying  Trojans  and  Tuscans  alike.  One  of 
the  Ligurians,  the  son  of  Annus,  thought  to 
escape  in  this  way.  He  said  to  her:  *'Let 
us  fight  on  foot;    you  have  so  swift  a  horse 

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^NEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

that  no  one  can  fight  with  you  on  equal 
terms."  Camilla  answered:  "Be  it  so;  we 
will  fight  on  foot."  And  she  leapt  from  her 
horse,  and  gave  it  to  one  of  her  companions 
to  hold.  But  the  other  turned  his  horse  to 
flee,  foolish  man,  not  knowing  that  Camilla 
could  run  faster  than  any  horse  in  the  world. 
But  so  it  was;  she  outran  the  horse,  and 
stood  in  front  of  it,  catching  the  reins  in 
her  hand,  and  so  killed  him. 

Then  Tarchon  the  Tuscan  shouted  out  to 
his  horsemen:  **What  is  this,  you  cowards? 
Shall  a  woman  drive  you  before  her?  You 
are  ready  for  the  dance  and  feast,  and  you 
lag  behind  in  battle.  Follow  me."  And 
he  rode  at  Venulus,  prince  of  Tibur,  and 
caught  him  in  his  arms,  dragging  him  from 
his  horse.  So  an  eagle  catches  up  a  snake 
in  his  claws  and  carries  him  off,  and  the 
snake  winds  himself  round  the  bird,  and 
hisses.  Thus  did  Tarchon  carry  ofT  his 
enemy,  looking  for  a  place  where  to  strike 
him,  for  he  was  covered  with  armour,  and 
the  man  tried  to  keep  the  sword  from  his 
throat.  When  the  Trojans  and  the  Tuscans 
saw  this,  they  took  courage  again. 

266 


DEEDS  AND  DEATH  OF  CAMILLA 

All  this  time  a  certain  Arruns,  a  great 
archer,  was  watching  Camilla,  looking  for  a 
chance  to  kill  her.  There  was  a  certain 
priest  who  was  riding  in  the  midst  of  the 
battle  very  splendidly  adorned.  There  were 
clasps  of  gold  on  his  armour  and  the  armour 
of  his  horse.  He  wore  a  purple  robe  which 
had  come  from  Tyre;  he  had  a  Lycian  bow, 
adorned  with  gold;  his  helmet  also  shone 
with  gold;  and  his  scarf  had  a  ring  of 
gold,  and  his  tunic  was  rich  with  the  finest 
needlework.  Never  was  there  such  a  sight 
to  see.  And  Camilla,  having  a  woman's  love 
of  beautiful  things,  followed  him,  caring  for 
nothing,  and  thinking  of  nothing,  but  how 
she  might  take  these  splendid  spoils.  Now 
Arruns  lay  in  ambush,  and  when  he  saw 
Camilla,  how  she  followed  the  priest,  and 
thought  of  nothing  else,  he  said  to  himself, 
"Now  is  the  time.''  And  he  prayed  to 
Apollo:  ''Lord  of  the  bow,  help  me  now, 
if  ever  I  and  my  people  have  done  honour 
to  you.  I  ask  no  glory  for  myself.  Only 
let  me  slay  this  fury,  though  I  go  back  to 
my  country  without  honour."  Part  of  this 
prayer    the    god    heard    and    answered,    but 

267 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

part  was  scattered  by  the  winds.  For  he 
drew  his  bow  to  the  full,  and  let  fly  the 
arrow.  And  when  the  people  heard  the 
twang  of  the  bow,  for  they  could  not  see 
the  man,  they  all  turned.  But  Camilla  took 
no  heed;  she  had  no  thought  of  the  arrow 
till  it  struck  her  under  the  left  breast.  She 
reeled  upon  her  horse,  and  her  companions 
closed  round  her  and  caught  her  as  she 
fell.  Once  she  laid  her  hand  on  the  arrow 
and  would  have  drawn  it  out,  but  it  had  gone 
too  deep.  Then  her  eyes  swam  in  death, 
and  the  colour  that  was  as  the  colour  of  a 
rose  faded  from  her  cheek.  Only  as  she 
died,  she  said,  for  her  thoughts  were  still 
with  the  battle,  so  keen  a  fighter  was  she: 
**Acca,  my  sister,  tell  Turnus  to  come  forth 
from  his  ambush,  and  join  in  the  battle,  if 
he  would  keep  the  Trojans  from  the  walls 
of  the  city."      So  she  died. 

Now  Arruns,  at  the  first,  lay  in  hiding, 
for  he  was  afraid,  so  great  a  deed  had  he 
done.  After  a  while,  he  came  out  from  his 
place,  and  began  to  boast.  Then  Opis  drew 
her  bow  with  all  her  strength,  till  the  ends 
came   almost  together.      With  her  right  hand 

268 


DEEDS  AND  DEATH  OF  CAMILLA 

she  held  the  bow-string,  and  with  her  left 
the  arrow-head.  So  she  let  the  shaft  fly. 
Arruns  heard  the  twang,  and  even  while  he 
heard  it,  he  fell  dead  upon  the  plain.  And 
now  the  companions  of  Camilla  flew,  as 
did  also  the  Latins  and  the  allies.  The  dust 
of  the  battle  came  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
walls,  and  a  great  cry  went  up  to  the  heaven. 
Great  was  the  fear  and  the  confusion.  Some 
were  trodden  down  by  their  own  people, 
so  that  they  died  even  in  sight  of  their  own 
homes.  And  the  keepers  of  the  gates  shut 
them  close,  so  that  their  own  friends  were 
left  outside. 

And  now  Acca  had  carried  to  Turnus,  as 
he  lay  in  ambush,  the  news  of  how  her 
sister  was  dead,  and  how  the  battle  went 
against  his  people.  Immediately  he  rose  up 
from  his  place,  and  made  all  haste  to  the 
city.  And  it  chanced  that  at  the  very  same 
time  JEntzs  had  come  through  the  valley 
and  passed  over  the  ridge.  The  two  saw 
each  other;  but  the  night  was  now  falling, 
so  that  they  could  not  meet  in  battle. 


269 


CHAPTER  XXI 
THE   BROKEN  TREATY 


CHAPTER   XXI 

THE    BROKEN   TREATY 

That  night  there  was  much  talk  in  the 
city  of  King  Latinus,  for  the  king  and 
Turnus  and  the  queen  could  not  agree 
among  themselves.  Nothing  would  satisfy 
Turnus  but  that  he  should  fight  with  iEneas, 
man  to  man.  Twice  had  he  seen  the  Latins 
and  their  aUies  beaten  in  battle;  many  of 
his  friends  had  been  slain;  and  the  people 
looked  to  him  that  he  should  keep  his 
promise,  for,  indeed,  he  had  sworn  that  he 
would  meet  iEneas  in  single  combat.  He 
said,  therefore,  to  the  king,  pretending,  as 
men  will  do,  to  be  more  sure  of  victory 
than  he  was  in  his  heart:  *'My  father,  these 
Trojan  cowards  shall  not  go  back  from  their 
word.  I  will  meet  this  man  face  to  face, 
and  will  kill  him  before  your  eyes.  But  if 
the  gods  will  have  it  that  he  should  prevail 
over  me,  let  it  be  so;  you  shall  be  his  servants, 
and  Lavinia  shall  be  his  wife." 

273 


iENEID    FOR   BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

King  Latinus  was  in  a  sore  strait.  Turnus 
he  loved,  and  would  willingly  have  had  him 
for  a  son-in-law,  if  the  gods  had  not  for- 
bidden. And  he  would  not  have  him  die. 
Why  should  he  not  be  content  and  depart? 
So  he  said:  "Think  awhile,  my  son;  you 
will  have  a  kingdom  in  due  time,  even  the 
kingdom  of  your  father  Daunus.  And  there 
are  other  maidens  in  Italy,  noble  of  birth 
and  fair  to  look  upon,  whom  you  may  have 
to  wife.  Why  will  you  not  be  content? 
I  would  have  given  you  my  daughter 
Lavinia;  but,  as  you  know,  the  gods  forbade. 
I  have  been  weak,  I  know;  I  have  changed 
my  purpose,  for,  indeed,  I  loved  you  much, 
and  my  wife  also  moved  me  with  her  tears. 
But  see  what  troubles  I  and  my  people  have 
suffered!  Twice  have  we  been  beaten  in 
battle,  and  now  only  the  city  is  left  to  us, 
and  even  this  is  in  danger.  If  I  must  yield 
to  these  men,  why  must  I  also  lose  you? 
What  shall  I  profit  if  you  die?  Will  not 
my  people  cry  shame  upon  me,  if  I  suffer  it  ? " 

The  queen,  also,  was  set  against  the  thought 
of  the  single  combat.  **0h!  my  son,'*  she 
cried,   **do     not     fight     with     this     stranger. 

274 


THE    BROKEN   TREATY 

What  shall  I  do  if  you  are  slain!  One 
thing  I  know:  I  will  not  live  to  see  JEnc^s 
my  son-in-law.'* 

And  Lavinia  wept  to  hear  her  mother 
speak  in  this  way,  and  to  think  that  all 
this  was  on  account  of  her.  She  wept,  and 
her  face  grew  crimson  with  shame.  Her 
face  was  as  when  ivory  is  stained  with 
crimson,  or  as  when  roses  are  mixed  with 
lilies.  Never  had  she  seemed  so  fair;  and 
when  Turnus  saw  her,  his  heart  burned  with 
love.  He  turned  to  the  queen,  and  said: 
"My  mother,  do  not  trouble  me  with  tears 
and  prayers.  To  this  battle  I  must  go.*' 
Then  he  called  the  herald,  and  said:  "Go 
to  the  Trojan  king,  and  bear  this  message. 
Turnus  says,  *We  two  will  fight  man  to 
man  to-morrow,  and  the  people  shall  have 
peace.  And  he  that  prevails  shall  have 
Lavinia  for  his  wife.'  " 

The  next  day  the  men  of  Italy  and  the 
men  of  Troy  measured  out  a  piece  of  ground 
where  these  two,  iEneas  and  Turnus,  should 
fight  together.  In  the  middle  of  the  ground 
they  built  an  altar  of  turf.  And  the  Trojans 
sat   on    one    side    with    their    allies,    and    the 

275 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

Latins  on  the  other,  with  their  spears  fixed 
in  the  earth,  and  their  shields  laid  by  their 
sides.  And  all  the  walls  of  the  city  were 
crowded  with  women  and  old  men  to  see 
the  fight. 

When  everything  was  now  ready,  the  two 
kings  came  to  make  the  agreement.  First 
came  Latinus,  sitting  in  a  chariot  drawn  by 
four  horses.  On  his  head  he  had  a  crown 
with  twelve  spikes  which  were  like  to  rays 
of  sunlight,  for  the  king  was  of  the  race  of 
the  Sun.  Turnus  came  in  a  chariot  drawn 
by  two  white  horses,  holding  a  spear  in 
either  hand.  And  iEneas  came,  clad  in  the 
armour  which  the  Fire-god  had  made  for 
him,  and  his  son  Ascanius  by  his  side. 

First,  they  offered  sacrifice  on  the  altar. 
When  this  was  done,  iEneas  laid  his  hand 
upon  the  altar,  and  swore:  "If  this  day  the 
victory  shall  fall  to  Turnus,  the  Trojans  shall 
go  to  the  city  of  Evander,  and  shall  trouble 
this  land  no  more.  But  if  the  gods  shall 
give  the  victory  to  me,  then  things  shall 
be  thus  ordered.  The  Latins  shall  not  serve 
the  Trojans.  The  two  nations  shall  be  equal. 
King    Latinus    shall  still  be  king  even  as  he 

276 


THE    BROKEN   TREATY 

is  to-day.  The  Trojans  shall  build  a  new 
city  for  me,  and  Lavinia  shall  call  it  after 
her  own  name." 

King  Latinus  also  laid  his  hand  upon  the 
altar,  and  swore,  calling  on  the  gods  that 
were  in  heaven  and  the  gods  that  were  below 
the  earth:  *' Surely  this  treaty  shall  stand  fast 
for  ever  and  ever.  See  this  sceptre  which  I 
carry  in  my  hand !  Once  it  was  the  branch  of 
a  tree,  but  a  workman  closed  it  in  bronze,  and 
made  it  a  sceptre  for  the  king  of  the  Latins. 
As  surely  as  it  will  never  again  bear  twig  or 
leaf,  so  surely  shall  this  treaty  stand  fast  for 
ever."  But  while  he  was  speaking,  Juno  had 
it  in  her  mind  to  break  the  treaty.  She  said 
to  Juturna,  who  was  sister  to  Turnus:  "See 
you  how  these  two  are  about  to  fight,  man  to 
man?  Do  you  not  know  how  this  will  end? 
Do  you  not  see  that  your  brother  goes  to  his 
death  ?  As  for  me,  I  will  have  nothing  to 
do  with  this  treaty  or  this  fight.  But  if 
you  can  do  anything  for  your  brother,  now 
is  the  time."  And  when  the  nymph  wept  and 
beat  her  breast,  Juno  said:  "This  is  no  time 
for  tears:  save  your  brother,  if  you  can,  from 
death.    And  first  cause  this  treaty  to  be  broken." 

277 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

Now  the  Latins,  as  they  sat  and  looked 
on  what  was  being  done,  liked  it  little.  It 
had  seemed  to  them  even  before  that  the 
fight  between  these  two  would  not  be  equal. 
And  now,  seeing  the  two  men,  that  iEneas 
was  bold  and  confident,  and  that  Turnus 
walked  with  his  eyes  upon  the  ground,  and 
looked  pale  and  sad,  they  were  more  afraid 
that  the  fight  would  go  against  their  own 
champion.  So  they  began  to  murmur,  and  to 
talk  among  themselves.  When  the  nymph 
perceived  this,  she  took  upon  herself  the 
shape  of  one  Gamers,  who  was  a  great 
prince  and  warrior,  and  went  to  and  fro 
among  the  people,  saying:  "Are  you  not 
ashamed,  men  of  Italy,  to  allow  one  man 
to  do  battle  for  you  all?  Look  at  these 
Trojans!  See  how  few  they  are.  There 
is  scarcely  one  of  them  for  two  of  you. 
And  if  your  champion  should  be  overcome 
how  great  the  shame!  He  shall  gain  glory, 
though  he  die,  but  you  will  suffer  disgrace, 
for  whatever  the  king  of  these  strangers  may 
say,  you  will  surely  be  servants  to  them." 

And  while  the  man  went  about  among 
the  army,  saying  these  and  other  like  things, 

278 


THE    BROKEN   TREATY 

there  was  shown  —  for  so  Juno  contrived  it  — 
a  sign  in  heaven.  An  eagle  drove  a  great 
flock  of  birds  before  him,  and,  swooping 
down  from  the  air  to  the  water,  caught  a 
swan  in  his  claws,  and  began  to  carry  him 
away.  And  lo!  the  flock  of  birds  that  had 
fled  from  him,  turned  again  and  drove  the 
eagle  before  them,  so  that  he  dropped  the 
swan  and  flew  away.  Then  King  Tolumnius, 
who  was  skilful  in  seeing  the  meaning  of 
such  things,  cried  out:  '*See  you  this,  my 
friends?  This  is  such  a  sign  as  I  have  looked 
for.  This  eagle  is  the  Trojan  stranger;  you 
are  the  birds:  hitherto  you  have  fled  before 
him;  now  you  turn,  and  he  will  flee  before 
you." 

And  as  he  spoke  he  threw  his  spear,  and 
hit  one  of  the  men  of  King  Evander  below 
the  belt.  He  was  one  of  nine  brothers, 
sons  of  a  Greek,  but  their  mother  was  a 
Tuscan  woman.  And  as  his  brothers  saw 
him  fall  dead  upon  the  ground,  they  caught 
their  spears  from  where  they  stood  fixed  in 
the  ground,  and  ran  forward.  So  the  battle 
began.  First  the  altar  was  thrown  down, 
and   the   wood   that   was   burning   on   it   was 

279 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

taken  for  firebrands.  When  King  Latinus 
saw  this,  he  mounted  his  chariot  and  fled 
from  the  place.  Then  Messapus  killed  the 
king  of  Mantua  close  to  the  altar,  so  that 
he  fell  dead  upon  it.  And  Messapus  cried: 
"This  is  indeed  a  noble  offering!"  And  not 
a  few  others  were  slain,  both  on  this  side 
and  on  that. 

As  for  iEneas,  he  stood  in  his  place  by 
the  altar,  with  his  head  bare,  not  having 
either  spear  or  sword  in  his  hand,  and  cried 
to  the  people:  **What  do  you  want?  Have 
we  not  made  a  treaty?  It  is  not  for  you 
to  fight.  Between  you  there  is  peace.  The 
battle  is  for  Turnus  and  for  me.'' 

When  he  was  thus  speaking,  there  came 
an  arrow  out  of  the  crowd  and  struck  him 
in  the  arm.  Who  shot  the  arrow  no  one 
ever  knew,  for  no  man  dared  to  boast  that 
he  had  wounded  the  great  ^neas.  Then 
the  chiefs  led  him  out  of  the  battle  to  the 
camp. 


280 


CHAPTER  XXII 
THE  DEATH   OF  TURNUS 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE    DEATH    OF   TURNUS 

Now  that  iEneas  had  gone  away,  Turnus 
raged  more  furiously  than  ever.  He  drove 
his  chariot  right  through  the  host  of  Trojans, 
and  slew  chiefs  on  either  side  as  he  went. 
One  of  them  was  the  son  of  Dolon,  who 
went  to  spy  out  what  the  Greeks  were 
doing  in  their  camp  before  Troy,  and  asked 
—  foolish  man  that  he  was  —  for  the  horses 
of  Achilles  as  his  pay.  Turnus  struck  him 
to  the  ground  with  a  javelin,  and  put  his 
foot  upon  him  and  said:  *'And  did  you 
too  ask  for  pay?  Take,  then,  so  much  of 
the  land  of  Italy  as  you  lie  upon."  The 
Trojans  and  Tuscans  fled  before  him.  Only 
one  man  dared  to  stand  up  before  him  — 
Phegeus  was  his  name.  He  caught  at  the 
bridles  of  the  horses,  trying  to  stop  the 
chariot.  But  the  horses  dragged  him  along, 
and  Turnus  thrust  his  spear  through  his 
coat   of  mail.     But   Phegeus  was   not   afraid. 

283 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

He  loosed  the  bridles,  and,  putting  his 
shield  before  him,  made  at  Turnus  with 
his  sword,  but  Turnus  dealt  him  a  great 
blow  where  the  coat  of  mail  joined  on  to 
the  helmet,  and  cut  off  his  head. 

Meanwhile  Achates  and  Ascanius  led  iEneas 
to  the  camp.  Very  slowly  did  he  walk, 
leaning  heavily  on  his  spear.  And  first  he 
tried  to  draw  out  the  arrow  with  his  own 
hand,  but  could  not.  Then  he  sent  for 
lapis  the  physician,  and  said:  **Cut  deep; 
only  take  out  the  arrow,  and  send  me  back 
to  the  battle."  Now  lapis  was  dear  to 
Apollo;  and  when  the  god  was  ready  to 
give  him  all  his  arts,  music,  and  the  use 
of  the  bow,  and  to  know  what  was  going 
to  happen,  he  chose  rather  to  have  the 
gift  of  healing.  For  his  father  was  an  old 
man  and  about  to  die,  and  lapis  wished 
to  give  him  a  longer  life.  And  now  he 
did  all  that  he  could  for  iEneas,  trying  to 
draw  out  the  arrow  from  the  wound  with 
his  pincers,  and  could  not.  All  the  while 
the  battle  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  the 
noise  grew  louder,  and  the  sky  was  dark 
with    clouds    of    dust,    and    the    javelins    fell 

284 


THE   DEATH   OF   TURNUS 

thick  into  the  camp.  Then  Venus,  seeing 
the  trouble  which  had  come  upon  her  son, 
brought  him  help.  It  was  a  healing  herb 
which  she  knew;  the  wild  goats  when 
they  have  been  wounded  by  the  hunter's 
arrows  seek  it  out.  This  she  brought,  and 
dipped  into  the  water  which  lapis  was 
using,  but  no  one  saw  her  when  she  came 
or  when  she  went.  And  lapis,  not  know- 
ing what  had  been  done,  used  the  water, 
in  which  the  herb  had  been  dipped.  Im- 
mediately the  pain  ceased,  and  the  blood 
was  stanched,  and  the  arrow  came  of  its 
own  accord  out  of  the  wound.  Then  he 
said  to  iEneas:  "It  is  no  skill  of  mine,  my 
son,  that  has  done  this.  The  gods  call  you 
to  your  work."  And  now  iEneas  felt  that 
all  his  strength  was  restored  to  him,  and  he 
armed  himself,  and,  having  kissed  Ascanius, 
went  back  to  the  battle.  And  when  his 
people  saw  him,  they  took  courage  again, 
and  shouted,  and  charged  the  Latins  and 
drove  them  back  to  the  city.  Many  of  their 
chiefs  were  slain,  among  them  the  man  who 
had  broken  the  treaty;  but  ^Eneas  would 
not   turn   his   hand    against   any.     He   looked 

285 


iENEID   FOR   BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

for  Turnus,  and  cared  nothing  about  the 
others.  When  the  sister  of  Turnus  saw  this, 
she  was  much  afraid;  so,  running  up  to  her 
brother's  chariot,  she  pushed  the  driver  from 
his  place,  and  took  the  reins  herself;  but 
the  man  did  not  know  what  had  happened, 
only  he  found  himself  left  behind,  nor  did 
Turnus  know  anything  about  it.  She  drove 
the  chariot,  first  to  one  part  of  the  field, 
then  to  another,  just  as  a  bird  flies  about 
in  some  room  of  the  house.  i^Eneas  saw 
him,  and  followed,  calling  out:  "Stop,  coward, 
and  fight;"  but  the  nymph  turned  the  horses 
about  and  fled  away.  And  once  JEnt^s 
came  near  to  being  killed,  for  he  did  not 
notice  how  King  Messapus  stood  ready  to 
throw  a  spear  at  him.  Just  in  time  he  saw 
it,  and  dropped  on  his  knee,  holding  his 
shield  before  him.  Yet  the  spear  struck 
the  top  of  his  helmet,  and  cut  off  the  crest. 
This  made  him  angry,  and  he  ceased  to 
pursue  Turnus,  and,  rushing  into  the  army 
of  Latins,  made  a  great  slaughter.  After 
a  while  it  came  into  his  mind  to  attack 
the  city,  for  he  said  to  himself:  **If  I  attack 
the    city,    surely   Turnus   will    come    to  help, 

286 


THE   DEATH   OF   TURNUS 

and  we  shall  meet/'  So  he  called  to  the 
chiefs,  saying:  **Come,  we  will  go  against 
the  city.  I  will  lay  it  even  with  the  ground, 
and  its  people  within  it,  if  they  do  not  keep 
their  promise.  As  for  this  Turnus,  why 
should  I  pursue  him?'* 

Then  the  whole  army  made  for  the  walls 
of  the  city.  Some  carried  burning  torches 
in  their  hands,  and  some  scaling-ladders. 
Some  made  at  the  men  who  kept  the  gates, 
and  others  threw  javelins  at  those  who  stood 
on  the  walls.  There  was  a  great  strife  in 
the  city.  Some  said:  "Let  us  open  the 
gates,  and  ask  these  Trojans  to  have  mercy 
on  us,  before  it  is  too  late."  Others  said: 
*'Not  so!  we  will  fight  for  our  own  city  to 
the    last." 

The  queen  stood  on  the  roof  of  the  palace, 
watching  the  battle.  When  she  saw  how 
the  Trojans  were  attacking  the  city,  and  that 
her  own  people  were  not  there  to  help  it,  she 
said  to  herself:  "Turnus  is  dead,  or  surely  he 
would  be  here:  it  is  I  who  have  brought  him 
to  his  death."  And  she  made  a  noose  out 
of  the  purple  garment  which  she  wore,  and 
hanged    herself    from    a    beam    in    the    roof. 

287 


iENEID   FOR    BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

When  the  people  knew  this,  there  was  great 
lamentation  in  the  city,  and  King  Latinus 
rent  his  clothes  and  threw  dust  upon  his 
white  hair. 

And  now  the  cry  of  the  people  in  the 
city  was  so  loud  that  it  came  to  the  ears  of 
Turnus,  where  he  fought  in  the  farthest 
part  of  the  plain.  He  caught  the  reins,  saying : 
**What  means  this  cry  from  the  city? 
Surely  there  is  trouble.  I  will  go  to  their 
help!"  But  the  false  driver  said:  "Nay,  my 
lord,  fight  here  where  the  gods  are  giving 
you  the  victory.  There  are  enough  to  defend 
the  city.''  But  Turnus  said:  '*Nay,  my 
sister,  for  I  know  who  you  are,  it  must  not 
be  so.  Why  did  you  come  down  from 
heaven?  Was  it  to  see  your  brother  die? 
My  friends  have  been  slain:  shall  I  see  the 
city  destroyed  ?  Shall  the  Latins  see  Turnus 
fly  from  his  enemy?  The  gods  of  the  living 
have  left  me.  Receive  me,  O  gods  of  the 
dead,  for  indeed,  I  have  sought  to  do  the 
thing  that  is  right."  While  he  was  speaking, 
a  chief  came  riding  up,  his  horse  covered 
with  foam,  and  with  the  wound  of  an  arrow 
in    his    face.     "O    Turnus,"    he    cried,  "you 

288 


THE   DEATH   OF   TURNUS 

are  our  last  hope.  .Eneas  is  about  to  destroy 
the  city,  and  his  men  are  throwing  Ughted 
torches  on  to  the  roofs.  Only  Messapus 
and  a  few  chiefs  keep  up  the  fight,  while 
you  are  driving  your  chariot  about  these 
empty  fields." 

Then  Turnus  leapt  from  his  chariot,  and 
ran  as  fast  as  he  could  to  the  city.  Where 
the  blood  ran  deepest  on  the  earth  and  the 
arrows  were  flying  thickest  in  the  air,  he 
ran.  He  beckoned  to  his  men,  and  cried: 
*'Stay  your  arrows;  stand  still;  I  am  come 
to  fight  for  you  all."  When  ^neas  saw 
it,  he  left  attacking  the  city,  and  came  to 
meet  his  enemy.  Both  the  armies  stood  and 
looked,  for,  indeed,  they  were  two  mighty 
chiefs. 

First  they  cast  their  spears  at  each  other; 
then  they  ran  together,  and  their  shields 
struck  together  with  a  great  crash.  First 
Turnus  rose  to  his  height,  and  struck  a 
great  blow  with  his  sword,  and  all  the 
Trojans  and  all  the  Latins  cried  out  when 
they  saw  him  strike  —  these  with  hope  and 
those  with  fear.  But  the  treacherous  sword 
was  broken  in  the  blow.    And  when  Turnus 

289 


iENEID   FOR   BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

saw  the  empty  hilt  in  his  hand,  he  turned 
to  fly.  They  say  that  when  he  mounted  his 
chariot  that  day  to  go  to  the  battle  he  left 
his  father's  sword  behind  him,  not  thinking 
what  he  was  doing,  and  took  in  its  place 
the  sword  of  his  charioteer.  This  served 
him  well  enough  while  he  was  fighting  with 
others,  but  when  he  came  to  the  shield 
which  the  Fire-god  had  made,  it  broke  like 
ice.  So  Turnus  fled,  and  -^neas,  though  he 
was  yet  somewhat  hindered  by  his  wound, 
pursued  him.  And  Turnus  cried  out:  "Give 
me  a  sword."  But  iEneas  cried:  "If  any 
one  helps  him  I  will  burn  the  city  to  the 
ground."  Five  times  round  the  space  be- 
tween the  two  armies  they  ran,  and  Turnus 
could  not  escape,  nor  could  ^Eneas  take  hold 
of  his  enemy.  Now  there  stood  in  the  plain 
the  stump  of  a  wild  olive  tree,  and  it  was 
sacred  to  the  god  Faunus.  In  this  the  spear 
of  iEneas  had  fixed  itself  when  he  cast  it  at 
Turnus  but  had  not  hit  him.  Now  he  tried 
to  pull  it  forth.  But  Turnus  cried  to  the 
god:  "O  Faunus,  if  I  have  kept  sacred  the 
things  which  the  Trojans  have  profaned,  hold 
fast  this  spear."    And  so  it  was,  for  iEneas 


THE    DEATH   OF   TURNUS 

could  not  draw  it  forth.  And  while  he 
struggled  with  it,  the  nymph,  the  sister 
of  Turnus,  taking  the  form  of  the  charioteer, 
ran  up,  and  put  his  own  sword  into  his 
hand.  When  Venus  saw  this,  she,  too,  came 
down,  and  drew  the  spear  from  the  stump. 

Then  said  Jupiter  to  Juno,  as  they  sat 
watching  the  battle:  "How  long  wilt  thou 
fight  against  fate  —  What  wilt  thou?  Was 
it  well  that  the  nymph  should  give  back  to 
Turnus  his  sword  ?  Thou  hast  driven  the 
Trojans  over  land  and  sea,  and  filled  Italy 
with  death,  and  turned  the  marriage  song 
into  mourning.     Further  thou  must  not    go." 

And  Juno  answered  humbly:  ''This  is 
thy  will,  father  of  gods  and  men,  and  I  yield. 
But  grant  me  this:  do  not  let  the  Latins 
be  called  by  the  name  of  Troy,  or  change 
their  dress,  or  their  speech.  Let  Rome  rule 
the  world,  but  let  Troy  perish  for  ever." 

And  Jupiter  answered:  *Tt  shall  be  so; 
all  that  thou  askest  I  will  give.  The  Italians 
shall  not  change  name,  or  dress,  or  speech. 
The  men  of  Troy  shall  become  Latins,  and 
by  none  wilt  thou  be  more  honoured  than 
by  them." 

291 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

And  now  ^neas  came  on  shaking  his 
great  spear.  "Why  do  you  draw  back,  O 
Turnus?'"  he  said.  ''If  you  can,  fly  through 
the  air,  or  hide  yourself  in  the  earth;  but 
if  not,  meet  me  face  to  face."  Turnus 
answered:  "It  is  not  you  I  fear;  it  is  the 
gods  who  are  turned  against  me."  Then 
he  turned  to  fight.  His  sword  he  did  not 
use,  but  he  saw  a  great  stone  that  lay  close 
by,  the  landmark  of  a  field.  Very  great  it 
was,  so  that  twelve  men  —  such  as  men  are 
nowadays  —  could  scarcely  lift  it  from  the 
ground.  This  he  caught  from  the  earth, 
and,  running  forward,  cast  it  at  iEneas.  But 
he  scarcely  knew  what  he  was  doing,  for 
his  knees  tottered  beneath  him,  and  his  blood 
was  cold  with  fear.  He  was  like  to  a  man 
in  a  dream,  who  tries  to  run  and  cannot. 
The  stone  fell  short,  and  then  Turnus  looked 
about  him.  He  saw  the  city,  but  his  chariot 
he  could  not  see,  nor  his  sister.  He  could 
not  fight,  and  he  could  not  flee,  and  the 
dreadful  spear  was  pointed  at  him.  For  a 
while  ^neas  stood  shaking  it  in  his  hand, 
waiting  till  his  aim  should  be  sure.  Then 
he    threw    it    with    all    his    might.     It    came 

292 


THE   DEATH   OF   TURNUS 

like  a  whirlwind,  and  pierced  the  seven  folds 
of  his  shield,  and  made  a  deep  wound  in  his 
thigh.  And  Turnus  dropped  with  his  knee 
on  the  ground,  and  all  the  Latins  groaned 
aloud  to  see  it.  Then  he  said:  **I  have 
deserved  my  fate:  take  what  you  have  won. 
And  yet  have  mercy  on  me.  Pity  the  old 
man,  my  father.  You  had  such  an  one  for 
your  own  father.  Give  me  back  to  my 
own  people.  They  have  seen  me  beaten; 
they  see  me  beg  my  life  from  you:  Lavinia 
is  yours.     Therefore   spare   my  life." 

And  iEneas  stood  in  doubt.  He  might 
have  spared  him,  but  that  his  eye  fell  on 
the  belt  of  Pallas.  Then  he  cried  with  a 
dreadful  voice:  "Shall  I  spare  you  when 
you  wear  the  spoils  of  my  friend?  Not 
so;  take  this;  it  is  Pallas  slays  you."  And 
he  drove  his  spear  into  his  breast.  So  the 
spirit  of  Turnus  passed  into  the  darkness. 


293 


AFTERWARDS 


AFTERWARDS 

So  iEneas  married  the  fair  Lavinia,  and  built 
a  city  which  he  called  after  her  name.  This 
city  soon  grew  to  be  a  great  place,  for  the 
people  in  the  country  round  about  heard  the 
fame  of  the  great  ^Eneas,  how  brave  he  was 
in  battle,  and  how  just,  and  they  came  in 
great  numbers  to  be  his  subjects.  Yet  he 
had  enemies,  for  those  whom  he  had  over- 
come in  war  wished  to  be  revenged,  nor 
did  they  like  that  a  man  from  foreign  parts 
should  rule  over  them.  So  they  gathered 
a  great  army  together,  and  marched  against 
the  new  city.  iEneas  went  out  to  meet 
them,  and  put  them  to  flight;  but  he  never 
came  back  to  his  city.  Some  said  that  he 
was  drowned  in  a  river  which  runs  into 
the  sea  not  far  from  those  parts;  others, 
that  his  mother  Venus  carried  him  away. 
Certainly  he  was  never  seen  again  by  any  man. 

By  this  time  Lavinia  had  a  little  son, 
and    Ascanius  thought  that  it  would  be  well 

297 


iENEID    FOR    BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

to  leave  the  city  Lavinium  to  his  young 
brother,  and  to  found  a  new  one  for  himself. 
There  were,  indeed,  by  this  time  so  many 
people,  Trojans,  and  Latins,  and  Tuscans,  and 
Greeks,  who  had  come  from  the  city  of 
Evander,  that  one  place  was  not  big  enough 
to  hold  them.  So  Lavinia  had  charge  of 
the  city  which  had  been  called  after  her, 
till  her  son  should  be  old  enough  to  take 
the  kingdom,  and  Ascanius  built  a  new  town 
for  himself,  and  called  it  Alba  Longa  —  that 
is,  the  Long  White  Town. 

Not  long  after  this  the  old  King  Evander 
died,  and  as  he  left  no  son  to  succeed  him, 
the  little  town  which  he  had  built  among 
the  seven  hills  by  the  Tiber  was  deserted, 
and  the  people  joined  themselves  either  to 
Ascanius  at  Alba,  or  to  Lavinia  and  her 
son  at  the  other  city. 

For  many  years  the  place  was  without 
inhabitants.  Then  by  degrees  a  little  village 
grew  up.  For  one  thing,  the  country  about 
Alba  was  not  a  little  troubled  with  earth- 
quakes, but  these  did  not  reach  as  far  as 
the  valley  of  the  Tiber.  People,  too,  who 
got    into    trouble    at    home,    were    often    glad 

298 


AFTERWARDS 

to    flee    to    this    out-of-the-way    place    across 
the  river. 

Then  a  wonderful  thing  happened:  just  what 
the  Fire-god  had  shown  on  the  shield  which 
he  made  for  ^neas.  Two  babies,  children  of 
a  princess  descended  from  ^Eneas,  were  left  out 
to  die  by  a  cruel  uncle ;  but  a  she-wolf  which 
had  lost  her  own  cubs  suckled  them,  and  they 
grew  up  to  be  the  strongest  men  in  the 
country.  As  time  went  on  the  village  was 
turned  into  a  town,  and  the  town  was  made 
a  strong  place.  The  people  who  lived  in  it 
called  themselves  Romans.  Some  of  their 
neighbours  they  conquered,  and  with  some 
they  made  friends.  Little  by  little  they  made 
wider  their  boundaries  and  increased  their 
power.  Many  troubles  they  had,  from  quarrels 
among  themselves  and  from  enemies  without. 
More  than  once  their  city  was  taken.  Still, 
however  low  it  fell,  it  rose  again  stronger  than 
before.  It  conquered  first  all  Italy,  and  then 
the  countries  nearest  to  it,  and  then  far-away 
nations  in  Asia  and  Africa.  Our  own  island 
of  Britain  was  almost  the  last  of  its  conquests. 
We  may  still  see  the  ruins  of  the  splendid 
houses  which  the  Romans  built  here,  and  the 

299 


iENEID   FOR   BOYS   AND   GIRLS 

camps  which  their  soldiers  made.  Most 
wonderful  of  all  the  things  which  they  left 
behind  them  is  the  great  Wall  which  was 
made  right  across  the  island  to  keep  out 
the  savages  of  the  North.  "Most  wonderful," 
I  say,  but  still  greater  than  this  was  what 
we  have  from  them  of  Law  and  Order.  But 
this  is  a  matter  of  which  you  will  hear 
more  when  you  are  older. 


THE   END 


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